company name	Nike, Inc.
company logo
company type	Public
traded as
foundation	1964 (as Blue Ribbon Sports)
founder	Bill BowermanPhilip Knight
location	Washington County, Oregon, United States (Near Beaverton, Oregon)
area served	Worldwide
key people	Philip Knight(Chairman)Mark Parker(President and CEO)
industry	Clothing and Sports equipment
products	Athletic shoesApparelSports equipmentAccessories
revenue	US$ 19.014 billion (FY 2010)}}

| operating_income = US$ 2.517 billion (FY 2010) | net_income = US$ 1.907 billion (FY 2010) | assets = US$ 14.419 billion (FY 2010) | equity = US$ 9.754 billion (FY 2010) | num_employees = 34,400 (May 2010) | homepage = Nike.com }} Nike, Inc. (; ) is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area. It is the world's leading supplier of athletic shoes and apparel and a major manufacturer of sports equipment with revenue in excess of US$18.6 billion in its fiscal year 2008 (ending May 31, 2008). As of 2008, it employed more than 30,000 people worldwide. Nike and Precision Castparts are the only Fortune 500 companies headquartered in the state of Oregon, according to ''The Oregonian''.

The company was founded on January 25, 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports by Bill Bowerman and Philip Knight, and officially became Nike, Inc. on May 30, 1978. The company takes its name from Nike (Greek ''Νίκη'' pronounced ), the Greek goddess of victory. Nike markets its products under its own brand as well as Nike Golf, Nike Pro, Nike+, Air Jordan, Nike Skateboarding and subsidiaries including Cole Haan, Hurley International, Umbro and Converse. Nike also owned Bauer Hockey (later renamed Nike Bauer) between 1995 and 2008. In addition to manufacturing sportswear and equipment, the company operates retail stores under the Niketown name. Nike sponsors many high profile athletes and sports teams around the world, with the highly recognized trademarks of "Just do it" and the Swoosh logo.

Origins and history

Nike, originally known as "Blue Ribbon Sports", was founded by University of Oregon track athlete Philip Knight and his coach Bill Bowerman in January 1964. The company initially operated as a distributor for Japanese shoe maker Onitsuka Tiger (now ASICS), making most sales at track meets out of Knight's automobile.

The company's profits grew quickly, and, in 1967, BRS opened its first retail store, located on Pico Boulevard in Santa Monica, California. By 1971, the relationship between BRS and Onitsuka Tiger was nearing an end. BRS prepared to launch its own line of footwear, which would bear the newly designed ''Swoosh'' by Carolyn Davidson. The Swoosh was first used by Nike on June 18, 1971, and was registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on January 22, 1974.

The first shoe sold to the public to carry this design was a soccer shoe named ''Nike'', which was released in the summer of 1971. In February 1972, BRS introduced its first line of Nike shoes, with the name ''Nike'' derived from the Greek goddess of victory. In 1978, BRS, Inc. officially renamed itself to ''Nike, Inc.''. Beginning with Ilie Năstase, the first professional athlete to sign with BRS/Nike, the sponsorship of athletes became a key marketing tool for the rapidly growing company.

The company's first self-designed product was based on Bowerman's "waffle" design. After the University of Oregon resurfaced the track at Hayward Field, Bowerman began experimenting with different potential outsoles that would grip the new urethane track more effectively. His efforts were rewarded one Sunday morning when he poured liquid urethane into his wife's waffle iron. Bowerman developed and refined the so-called 'waffle' sole, which would evolve into the now-iconic Waffle Trainer in 1974.

By 1980, Nike had reached a 50% market share in the U.S. athletic shoe market, and the company went public in December of that year. Its growth was due largely to 'word-of-foot' advertising (to quote a Nike print ad from the late 1970s), rather than television ads. Nike's first national television commercials ran in October 1982 during the broadcast of the New York Marathon. The ads were created by Portland-based advertising agency Wieden+Kennedy, which had formed several months earlier in April 1982.

Together, Nike and Wieden+Kennedy have created many print and television advertisements and the agency continues to be Nike's primary today. It was agency co-founder Dan Wieden who coined the now-famous slogan ''"Just Do It"'' for a 1988 Nike ad campaign, which was chosen by ''Advertising Age'' as one of the top five ad slogans of the 20^th century, and the campaign has been enshrined in the Smithsonian Institution. San Franciscan Walt Stack was featured in Nike's first "Just Do It" advertisement that debuted on July 1, 1988. Wieden credits the inspiration for the slogan to "Let’s do it", the last words spoken by Gary Gilmore before he was executed.

Throughout the 1980s, Nike expanded its product line to include many other sports and regions throughout the world.

Acquisitions

As of November 2008, Nike, Inc. owns four key subsidiaries: Cole Haan, Hurley International, Converse Inc. and Umbro. Nike's first acquisition was the upscale footwear company Cole Haan in 1988. In February 2002, Nike bought surf apparel company Hurley International from founder Bob Hurley. In July 2003, Nike paid US$309 million to acquire Converse Inc., makers of the iconic Chuck Taylor All Stars. On March 3, 2008, Nike acquired sports apparel supplier Umbro, known as the manufacturers of the England national football team's kit, in a deal said to be worth £285 million (about US$600 million). Other subsidiaries previously owned and subsequently sold by Nike include Bauer Hockey and Starter.

Products

Nike produces a wide range of sports equipment. Their first products were track running shoes. They currently also make shoes, jerseys, shorts, baselayers, etc. for a wide range of sports including track and field, baseball, ice hockey, tennis, association football (soccer), lacrosse, basketball, and cricket. ''Nike Air Max'' is a line of shoes first released by Nike, Inc. in 1987. The most recent additions to their line are the ''Nike 6.0'', ''Nike NYX'', and ''Nike SB'' shoes, designed for skateboarding. Nike has recently introduced cricket shoes, called ''Air Zoom Yorker'', designed to be 30% lighter than their competitors'. In 2008, Nike introduced the ''Air Jordan XX3'', a high-performance basketball shoe designed with the environment in mind.

Nike sells an assortment of products, including shoes and apparel for sports activities like association football, basketball, running, combat sports, tennis, American football, athletics, golf, and cross training for men, women, and children. Nike also sells shoes for outdoor activities such as tennis, golf, skateboarding, association football, baseball, American football, cycling, volleyball, wrestling, cheerleading, aquatic activities, auto racing, and other athletic and recreational uses. Nike is well known and popular in youth culture, chav culture and hip hop culture as they supply urban fashion clothing. Nike recently teamed up with Apple Inc. to produce the Nike+ product that monitors a runner's performance ''via'' a radio device in the shoe that links to the iPod nano. While the product generates useful statistics, it has been criticized by researchers who were able to identify users' RFID devices from away using small, concealable intelligence motes in a wireless sensor network.

In 2004, they launched the SPARQ Training Program/Division.

Some of Nike's newest shoes contain Flywire and Lunarlite Foam. These are materials used to reduce the weight of many types of shoes.

On July 15, 2009, Nike+ Sports Band were released in stores. The Nike+ Sports Band recorded mileage ran, calories lost, kept time, and also gives runners new programs online they can try running.

The ''2010 Nike Pro Combat'' jersey collection will be worn by Miami, Alabama, Boise State, Florida, Ohio State, Oregon State, TCU, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, and Pittsburgh. Teams will wear these jerseys in key match ups as well as any time the athletic department deems necessary.

==Headquarters== Nike's world headquarters are surrounded by the city of Beaverton, but are within unincorporated Washington County. The city attempted to forcibly annex Nike's headquarters, which led to a lawsuit by Nike, and lobbying by the company that ultimately ended in Oregon Senate Bill 887 of 2005. Under that bill's terms, Beaverton is specifically barred from forcibly annexing the land that Nike and Columbia Sportswear occupy in unincorporated Washington County for 35 years, while Electro Scientific Industries and Tektronix get that same protection for 30 years.

Manufacturing

Nike has contracted with more than 700 shops around the world and has offices located in 45 countries outside the United States. Most of the factories are located in Asia, including Indonesia, China, Taiwan, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Pakistan, Philippines, and Malaysia. Nike is hesitant to disclose information about the contract companies it works with. However, due to harsh criticism from some organizations like CorpWatch, Nike has disclosed information about its contract factories in its Corporate Governance Report.

Human rights concerns

Sweatshops

Nike has been criticized for contracting with factories (known as Nike sweatshops) in countries such as China, Vietnam, Indonesia and Mexico. Vietnam Labor Watch, an activist group, has documented that factories contracted by Nike have violated minimum wage and overtime laws in Vietnam as late as 1996, although Nike claims that this practice has been halted. The company has been subject to much critical coverage of the often poor working conditions and exploitation of cheap overseas labor employed in the free trade zones where their goods are typically manufactured. Sources of this criticism include Naomi Klein's book ''No Logo'' and Michael Moore's documentaries.

During the 1990s, Nike faced criticism for use of child labor in Cambodia and Pakistan in factories it contracted to manufacture soccer balls. Although Nike took action to curb or at least reduce the practice of child labor, they continue to contract their production to companies that operate in areas where inadequate regulation and monitoring make it hard to ensure that child labor is not being used.

In 2001, a BBC documentary uncovered occurrences of child labor and poor working conditions in a Cambodian factory used by Nike. In the documentary, six girls were focused on, all of whom worked seven days a week, often 16 hours a day.

Campaigns have been taken up by many colleges and universities, especially anti-globalisation groups as well as several anti-sweatshop groups such as the United Students Against Sweatshops. Despite these campaigns, however, Nike's annual revenues have increased from US$6.4 billion in 1996 to nearly US$17 billion in 2007, according to the company's annual reports.

A July 2008 investigation by Australian Channel 7 News found a large number of cases involving forced labour in one of the biggest Nike apparel factories. The factory located in Malaysia was filmed by an undercover crew who found instances of squalid living conditions and forced labour. Nike have since stated that they will take corrective action to ensure the continued abuse does not occur.

As of July 2011, Nike stated that two-thirds of its factories producing Converse products still did not meet the company's standards for worker treatment. A July 2011 Associated Press article stated that employees at the company's plants in Indonesia reported constant abuse from supervisors.

China

Nike also caused controversy during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China, when their sponsored Chinese athlete, Liu Xiang, withdrew from the Olympic 110 metre hurdles, leaving the track after a false start by another competitor. Liu claimed that he withdrew due an ankle injury. However, an anonymous message was posted on the internet, purportedly from a source close to Nike, claiming that the corporation had forced Liu to withdraw as he was unlikely to win, thereby tarnishing their image. Nike responded by announcing that "we have immediately asked relevant [Chinese] government departments to investigate those that started the rumour".

Environmental record

The consistently growing [textile industry] often negatively impacts the environment. Because Nike is a large participant in this manufacturing, many of their processes negatively contribute to the environment. One way the expanding textile industry affects the environment is by increasing its water deficit, climate change, pollution, and fossil fuel and raw material consumption. In addition to this, today's electronic textile plants spend significant amounts of energy, while also producing a throw-away mindset due to trends founded upon fast fashion and cheap clothing.

Although these combined effects can negatively alter the environment, Nike tries to counteract their influence with different projects. According to a New England-based environmental organisation Clean Air-Cool Planet, Nike ranks among the top 3 companies (out of 56) on a survey conducted about climate-friendly companies. Nike has also been praised for its Nike Grind program (which closes the product lifecycle) by groups like Climate Counts. In addition to this, one campaign that Nike began for Earth Day 2008 was a commercial that featured Steve Nash wearing Nike's Trash Talk Shoe, a shoe that had been constructed in February 2008 from pieces of leather and synthetic leather waste that derived from the factory floor. The Trash Talk Shoe also featured a sole composed of ground-up rubber from a shoe recycling program. Nike claims this is the first performance basketball shoe that has been created from manufacturing waste, but it only produced 5,000 pairs for sale.

Another project Nike has begun is called Nike's Reuse-A-Shoe program. This program, started in 1993, is Nike's longest-running program that benefits both the environment and the community by collecting old athletic shoes of any type in order to process and recycle them. The material that is created from the recycled shoes is then used to help create sports surfaces, such as basketball courts, running tracks, and playgrounds.

A project through UNC found worker exposure to toxic isocyanates and other chemicals in footwear factories in Thailand. In addition to inhalation, dermal exposure was the biggest problem found. This could result in allergic reactions including asthmatic reactions.

Marketing strategy

Nike's marketing strategy is an important component of the company's success. Nike is positioned as a premium-brand, selling well-designed and expensive products. Nike lures customers with a marketing strategy centering around a brand image attained by distinctive logo and the advertising slogan: "Just do it". Nike promotes its products by sponsorship agreements with celebrity athletes, professional teams and college athletic teams. However, Nike's marketing mix contains many elements besides promotion. These are summarised below.

Advertising

In 1982, Nike aired its first national television ads, created by newly formed ad agency Wieden+Kennedy, during the New York Marathon. This was the beginning of a successful partnership between Nike and W+K that remains intact today. The Cannes Advertising Festival has named Nike its ''Advertiser of the Year'' on two separate occasions, the first and only company to receive that honor twice (1994, 2003).

Nike also has earned the Emmy Award for best commercial twice since the award was first created in the 1990s. The first was for "The Morning After," a satirical look at what a runner might face on the morning of January 1, 2000 if every dire prediction about Y2K came to fruition. The second Emmy for advertising earned by Nike was for a 2002 spot called "Move," which featured a series of famous and everyday athletes in a stream of athletic pursuits.

In addition to garnering awards, Nike advertising has generated its fair share of controversy:

Beatles song

Nike was the focus of criticism for its use of the Beatles song "Revolution" in a 1987 commercial, against the wishes of Apple Records, the Beatles' recording company. Nike paid US$250,000 to Capitol Records Inc., which held the North American licensing rights to the Beatles' recordings, for the right to use the Beatles' rendition for a year.

Apple sued Nike Inc., Capitol Records Inc., EMI Records Inc. and Wieden+Kennedy advertising agency for $15 million. Capitol-EMI countered by saying the lawsuit was 'groundless' because Capitol had licensed the use of "Revolution" with the "active support and encouragement of Yoko Ono Lennon, a shareholder and director of Apple."

According to a November 9, 1989 article in the ''Los Angeles Daily News'', "a tangle of lawsuits between the Beatles and their American and British record companies has been settled." One condition of the out-of-court settlement was that terms of the agreement would be kept secret. The settlement was reached among the three parties involved: George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr; Yoko Ono; and Apple, EMI and Capitol Records. A spokesman for Yoko Ono noted, "It's such a confusing myriad of issues that even people who have been close to the principals have a difficult time grasping it. Attorneys on both sides of the Atlantic have probably put their children through college on this."

Nike discontinued airing ads featuring "Revolution" in March 1988. Yoko Ono later gave permission to Nike to use John Lennon's "Instant Karma" in another advertisement.

Minor Threat advertisement

In late June 2005, Nike received criticism from Ian MacKaye, owner of Dischord Records, guitarist/vocalist for Fugazi & The Evens, and front-man of defunct punk band Minor Threat, for appropriating imagery and text from Minor Threat's 1981 self-titled album's cover art in a flyer promoting Nike Skateboarding's 2005 East Coast demo tour. On June 27, Nike Skateboarding's website issued an apology to Dischord, Minor Threat, and fans of both and announced that they tried to remove and dispose of all flyers. They state that the people who designed it were skateboarders and Minor Threat fans themselves who created the advertisement out of respect and appreciation for the band. The dispute was eventually settled out of court between Nike & Minor Threat. The exact details of the settlement have never been disclosed.

Chinese-themed advertisement

In 2004, an ad about LeBron James beating cartoon martial arts masters and slaying a Chinese dragon in martial arts offended Chinese authorities, who called the ad blasphemous and insulting to national dignity and to the dragon. The advertisement was later banned in China. In early 2007, the ad was reinstated in China for unknown reasons.

Nike 6.0

The company rolled out a new campaign in June 2011 called "Nike 6.0" that is aimed at extreme sport athletes. As part of the campaign, Nike introduced a new line of T-shirts that include phrases such as "Dope" and "Get High" - sports lingo that is also a double entendre for drug use. Boston Mayor Thomas Menino expressed his objection to the shirts after seeing them in a window display at the city's Niketown and asked the store to remove the display. "What we don't need is a major corporation like Nike, which tries to appeal to the younger generation, out there giving credence to the drug issue," Menino told ''The Boston Herald''. A company official says the shirts are meant exclusively to pay homage to extreme sports, and that Nike does not condone the illegal use of drugs.

Sponsorship

Nike pays top athletes in many different sports to use their products and promote/advertise their technology and design.

Nike's first professional athlete endorser was Romanian tennis player Ilie Năstase, and the company's first track endorser was distance running legend Steve Prefontaine. Prefontaine was the prized pupil of the company's co-founder Bill Bowerman while he coached at the University of Oregon. Today, the Steve Prefontaine Building is named in his honor at Nike's corporate headquarters.

Besides Prefontaine, Nike has sponsored many other successful track & field athletes over the years such as Carl Lewis, Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Sebastian Coe. However, it is the signing of basketball player Michael Jordan in 1984, with his subsequent promotion of Nike over the course of his storied career with Spike Lee as Mars Blackmon, that proved to be one of the biggest boosts to Nike's publicity and sales.

During the past 20 years especially, Nike has been one of the major clothing/footwear sponsors for leading tennis players. Some of the more successful tennis players currently or formerly sponsored by Nike include: James Blake, Jim Courier, Roger Federer, Lleyton Hewitt, Juan Martín del Potro, Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal, Pete Sampras, Marion Bartoli, Lindsay Davenport, Daniela Hantuchová, Mary Pierce, Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams.

Nike is the official kit sponsor for the Indian cricket team for 5 years, from 2006 till end of 2010. Nike beat Adidas and Puma by bidding highest (US$43 Million total).

Nike sponsors some of the leading clubs in world football, including the national teams of India, France, Brazil, Portugal, the Netherlands, the United States, and Malaysia.

Nike sponsors several of the world's top golf players, including Tiger Woods, Stewart Cink, Lucas Glover, Michelle Wie, Trevor Immelman, and Paul Casey.

Nike also sponsors various minor events including Hoop It Up (high school basketball) and The Golden West Invitational (high school track and field). Nike uses web sites as a promotional tool to cover these events. Nike also has several websites for individual sports, including nikebasketball.com, nikefootball.com, and nikerunning.com.

Drug promotion shirts controversy

In June 2011, Nike was forced to replace a line of shirts that read "Dope" "Get High" and "Ride Pipe" due to complaints that they promoted drug use. When asked Nike, Inc stated that the shirts were sport related and had on them terms used by skaters, snowboarders, and participants in other extreme sports.

See also

Nike sweatshops

List of companies of the United States

List of swimwear brands

References

Further reading

External links

Nikebiz.com – Business Site

Oregon Senate Bill 887, as signed by Governor Ted Kulongoski

Company summary, from the New York Stock Exchange website

Nike at the Open Directory Project

* Category:Athletic shoe brands Category:Clothing companies of the United States Category:Companies based in Beaverton, Oregon Category:Companies established in 1964 Category:Companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange Category:Shoe companies of the United States Category:Sporting goods manufacturers of the United States Category:Sportswear brands Category:Swimwear manufacturers Category:Publicly traded companies

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name	Luol Deng
width	270px
position	Small forward
height ft	6
height in	9
weight lb	220
team	Chicago Bulls
number	9
nationality	British and South Sudanese
birth date	April 16, 1985
birth place	Wau, Sudan (current South Sudan)
high school	Blair Academy
college	Duke (2003–2004)
draft round	1
draft pick	7
draft year	2004
draft team	Phoenix Suns
career start	2004
years1	2004–present
team1	Chicago Bulls
highlights	NBA All-Rookie First Team (2005) NBA Sportsmanship Award (2007) USBWA National Freshman of the Year (2004)
bbr	denglu01
letter	d
profile	luol_deng }}

Luol Deng (born April 16, 1985) is a South Sudanese-British professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association's Chicago Bulls and the Great Britain national basketball team. He plays the small forward position.

Early life

Deng was born in Wau, Sudan (current South Sudan) and is a member of the Dinka ethnic group. When he was young, his father Aldo, a member of the Sudanese parliament, moved the family to Egypt to escape the Second Sudanese Civil War. In Egypt, they met former NBA center Manute Bol, another Dinka, who taught Deng's older brother, Ajou Deng, how to play basketball while also serving as a mentor for Luol himself. When they were granted political asylum, his family emigrated to Brixton, South London. Deng developed an interest in soccer, admiring Faustino Asprilla of Newcastle United, but also continued to play basketball, and was invited to join England's 15-and-under teams in both sports. During this time, he began his career at Brixton Basketball Club. At the age of 13, he played for England's squad in the European Junior Men's Qualifying Tournament, averaging 40 points and 14 rebounds. He was named the MVP of the tournament. Next, he led England to the finals of the European Junior National Tournament, where he averaged 34 points and earned another MVP award.

At the age of 14, Luol moved to the United States to play basketball at Blair Academy in New Jersey, where one of his teammates was future NBA player Charlie Villanueva. Deng was also named a Tri-Captain at Blair along with Villanueva . During his senior year, Deng was considered the second most promising high school senior in America after LeBron James. He was named First Team All-America by ''Parade Magazine'' and USA Today, and was selected to play in the McDonald's High School All-America game, but could not play due to a foot injury. After graduation, he decided to attend Duke University. In one season at Duke, he appeared in 37 games and made 32 starts. He averaged 30.1 minutes and scored 15.1 points per game en route to a berth in the 2004 Final Four. He is only the 10th freshman in ACC history to lead all rookies in scoring, rebounding, and field goal percentage.

Professional career

2004–05 season

After one year at Duke, Deng entered the 2004 NBA Draft. He was picked seventh overall by the Phoenix Suns, but was immediately traded to the Chicago Bulls by prior agreement. Deng suffered a season-ending wrist injury late in his rookie season, but still made the NBA All-Rookie First Team to help the resurgent Bulls return to the playoffs for the first time in seven years. Deng played in 61 games and averaged 11.7 points per game. On February 8, Deng recorded his first double-double vs. the Dallas Mavericks.

2005–06 season

In his second season, he posted strong performances throughout March and April to help the Bulls earn their second consecutive playoff berth. His offensive statistics improved in his sophomore season, increasing his scoring to 14.3 points per game, and increasing his rebounding to 6.6 per game, up from a 5.3 average his rookie season. Deng had four straight double-double performances from February 28 to March 5, with at least ten points and rebounds in each game. In the playoffs, the Bulls faced off against the Miami Heat in a best of 7 game series. Deng came off the bench in all six games, averaging ten points per game.

2006–07 season

For the 2006–07 season, Deng was the only Bull to start all 82 regular season games. All of his numbers continued to improve, and he led the team in minutes played (37.5) and field goal percentage (.517), while playing a strong second scoring option to Ben Gordon, with a marked improvement to 18.8 points per game. Deng also notably rarely committed fouls on defense (2.00 per game), despite the minutes he played and frequently being outsized in matchups against power forwards such as Kevin Garnett.

On December 27, 2006, Deng was driving in the lane when Miami Heat player James Posey grabbed him, causing concern that Deng may have re-injured his wrist. Posey earned a flagrant foul, was ejected and suspended for one game. Deng scored 32 points against the Cavaliers just three nights later, resolving concern that the wrist would be re-injured. On March 26, 2007 Deng posted a new career-high 38 points to lead the Bulls to a home victory against the Portland Trail Blazers. Deng was in rhythm, converting a spectacular 18 of his 25 shots from the field.

Deng has won three major sportsmanship awards. On May 3, 2007, Deng won the NBA's sportsmanship award in a vote by players. The award honors the player who best exemplifies ethical behavior, fair play, and integrity on the court. For that award, the league will donate $25,000 on his behalf to Pacific Garden Mission, the oldest continuously operating rescue mission in the country. Deng also won the 2006–2007 Golden Icon Award for Best Sports Role Model. The awards are presented by the Travolta entertainment family. Most recently, he won the 2008 UN Refugee Agency's Humanitarian of the Year Award as part of the UNHCR's ninemillion.org campaign to bring education and sports to millions of displaced children.

2007–08 season

Near the beginning of the season, the Bulls started negotiating a contract extension for Deng. Negotiations were mostly handled by Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf. The team offered Deng a five-year extension for $57.5 million. However, Deng decided to reject the deal and wait until the season ended to continue negotiations.

In the 2007–08 season, Luol played in sixty-three games, missing 19 mostly because of left Achilles tendinitis. Despite injuries, Deng still averaged 17.0 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per game. He had his best game against the Milwaukee Bucks when he scored 32 points in a 151–135 victory. The Bulls missed the playoffs in the 2007–08 season.

2008–09 season

Before the season started, Deng agreed to a contract extension for six years and $71 million. The agreement was announced by Bulls general manager, John Paxson. Paxson said in a statement "Signing Luol has always been a priority for this organization and we have always felt that he was a big part of our future. We are very happy that Luol will now be with us long term as we continue to grow as an organization."

Due to injury, Deng only played in 48 games. During the regular season Luol's scoring dropped to 14.1 points per game and his rebounding dropped to 6.0 per game. The Bulls made the playoffs, but Luol missed the entire playoffs due to injury.

2009–10 season

Deng scored 27 points twice during the season, his season-high. Deng played in a total of 70 games during the 2009–10 season, also increasing his scoring and rebounding to 17.6 and 7.3 respectively, helping the Bulls make the playoffs again. He missed 11 straight games at the end of March because of a sprained right calf.

During the first-round of the playoffs, Deng averaged 18.8 points per game along with 5.0 rebounds per game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He scored 26 points in the final game, but couldn't prevent the Bulls being eliminated by the Cavs.

2010–11 season

On November 1, 2010, Deng scored a new career-high 40 points, hitting 14 of his 19 shots, along with 9 of 11 free throws, against the Portland Trail Blazers. On February 24, 2011, Deng scored 20 points, 10 rebounds, and hit the game winning 3-point shot with 16 seconds left on the clock in a game against the Miami Heat. Throughout the season, Deng significantly improved his 3-point shooting after coach Tom Thibodeau asked him to. In the past four seasons, Deng attempted 132 3-point shots, whereas this season he attempted 333, hitting 115 for a 34%.

Deng finished the season averaging 17.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, being the third lead scorer for the Chicago Bulls behind Derrick Rose (25.0) and Carlos Boozer (17.5). This was also Deng's seventh season averaging double figures. During the first round of the playoffs against the Indiana Pacers, Deng averaged 18.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, being the second leading scorer of the team behind Derrick Rose.

On March 31, 2011, Eric Bressman of ''Dime'' magazine called Deng "the most underrated player" writing he was "never the face of the franchise but always the backbone". Coach Thibodeau has consistently called Deng the "glue" that holds the Bulls together. "Luol's professional. He practices hard. He prepares well. He studies his opponent. He's great at executing offensively and defensively. He's helped this team get better every day" said Thibodeau.

Deng was the Bulls' second leading scorer during the playoffs. In the first game of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat, Deng was praised for his defense on LeBron James. However, the Miami Heat went on to eliminate the Bulls in five games. Deng averaged just under 43 minutes, 16.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game during the playoffs.

Citizenship

Since his birth in Sudan, Deng has lived in Egypt, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Deng represented England at Under-16 and Under-19 level, and is an ambassador for the London 2012 Olympic Games. In October 2006, Deng became a naturalized British citizen in a ceremony in Croydon and was called up to play in European competition for the Great Britain team. He made his debut against Georgia in Pau, France on 9 August 2007, scoring 19 points. In his first competitive qualifying game representing Great Britain, Deng collected 32 points, 16 rebounds, 11 assists, 8 steals and 2 blocks against Slovakia, at Birmingham's National Indoor Arena on August 21, 2007.

Due to the independence of South Sudan on July 9, 2011, Deng has the available option to play in the future for its national team.

Contract negotiations

On July 31, 2008, Luol Deng officially agreed to a six-year deal with the Bulls worth a guaranteed US$71 million. With incentives he could get up to US$80 million.

Off the court

Deng is involved in numerous charities, such as the UK children's charity School Home Support. He has been noted for his work on behalf of the Lost Boys of Sudan and other refugees. During the summers of 2006 and 2007, Luol went to Africa, Asia and Europe with the NBA for their Basketball Without Borders Tour. He is also a spokesperson for the World Food Programme. "He really does epitomize everything I had hoped for as a person and a basketball player," general manager John Paxson said. "I think it's one of the reasons we've gotten to the level we're at this year. I'm truly proud of him. I think the world of him as a person and as a player."

He counts himself a fan of English Premier League side Arsenal F.C.

Deng has been the cover athlete for NBA Live video games in the UK.

Following the 2009–2010 season, Deng made a highly publicized first return to his native Sudan.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

|- | align="left" | 2004–05 | align="left" | Chicago | 61 || 45 || 27.3 || .434 || .265 || .741 || 5.3 || 2.2 || .8 || .4 || 11.7 |- | align="left" | 2005–06 | align="left" | Chicago | 78 || 56 || 33.4 || .463 || .269 || .750 || 6.6 || 1.9 || .9 || .6 || 14.3 |- | align="left" | 2006–07 | align="left" | Chicago | 82 || 82 || 37.5 || .517 || .143 || .777 || 7.1 || 2.5 || 1.2 || .6 || 18.8 |- | align="left" | 2007–08 | align="left" | Chicago | 63 || 59 || 33.8 || .479 || .364 || .770 || 6.3 || 2.5 || .9 || .5 || 17.0 |- | align="left" | 2008–09 | align="left" | Chicago | 49 || 46 || 34.0 || .448 || .400 || .796 || 6.0 || 1.9 || 1.2 || .5 || 14.1 |- | align="left" | 2009–10 | align="left" | Chicago | 70 || 69 || 37.9 || .466 || .386 || .764 || 7.3 || 2.0 || .9 || .9 || 17.6 |- | align="left" | 2010–11 | align="left" | Chicago | 82 || 82 || 39.1 || .460 || .345 || .750 || 5.8 || 2.8 || 1.0 || .6 || 17.4 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 485 || 439 || 35.0 || .471 || .327 || .764 || 6.4 || 2.3 || 1.0 || .6 || 16.0

Playoffs

|- | align="left" | 2006 | align="left" | Chicago | 6 || 0 || 30.0 || .429 || .200 || .571 || 4.8 || .5 || .8 || .7 || 10.2 |- | align="left" | 2007 | align="left" | Chicago | 10 || 10 || 41.0 || .524 || .000 || .807 || 8.7 || 2.4 || 1.0 || .7 || 22.2 |- | align="left" | 2010 | align="left" | Chicago | 5 || 5 || 40.6 || .463 || .083 || .731 || 5.0 || 1.4 || 1.4 || .8 || 18.8 |- | align="left" | 2011 | align="left" | Chicago | 16 || 16 || 42.9 || .426 || .324 || .839 || 6.6 || 2.7 || 1.5 || .6 || 16.9 |- | align="left" | Career | align="left" | | 37 || 31 || 40.0 || .463 || .279 || .777 || 6.7 || 2.1 || 1.2 || .7 || 17.5

Notes

External links

Duke profile

USA Today Article

Britball.com Article

Category:1985 births Category:Living people Category:Expatriate basketball people in the United States Category:British expatriate basketball people Category:British expatriate sportspeople in the United States Category:Chicago Bulls players Category:Dinka people Category:Blair Academy alumni Category:Duke Blue Devils men's basketball players Category:Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom Category:English basketball players Category:English people of South Sudanese descent Category:McDonald's High School All-Americans Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Category:People from South Norwood Category:Phoenix Suns draft picks Category:Small forwards Category:South Sudanese basketball players Category:South Sudanese expatriates in the United States Category:South Sudanese emigrants to the United Kingdom Category:Black British sportspeople Category:British basketball players

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