Nuni Omot follows path from Mahtomedi to South Sudan and Olympics men’s basketball

Nuni Omot stood with his teammates on Sunday as they were about to make history.

South Sudan, the world’s newest country, was about to make its Olympic basketball debut in a Group C matchup against Puerto Rico at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille, France. The Bright Stars lined up on the court, waiting for “South Sudan Oyee!” the country’s national anthem, to be played.

Instead, officials mistakenly played the anthem of its neighbor to the north, Sudan.

“For us, it was kind of like a slap in the face,” Omot said Tuesday from team headquarters in Lille, France. “For them to do that, it was just showing that people still don’t respect us.”

Officials eventually switched to the correct anthem, and the new kids on the international block responded appropriately, defeating Puerto Rico 90-79. Omot, an athletic 6-9 forward who played at Mahtomedi and three different colleges, scored the first points in South Sudan history by sinking a pair of three throws. But winning was the biggest achievement, and he had emotional phone conversations with friends and family back home after the game.

“This is the highest point I’ve been at,” Omot said. “There’s nothing like it.”

His journey has taken him around the globe. Born in a refugee camp in Nairobi, Kenya, Anunwa “Nuni” Omot was a year old when his mother, Pillow, brought him and his older brother to Minnesota from Africa. He picked up basketball late in childhood, was lightly recruited out of Mahtomedi and began his career at Concordia (St. Paul) — toward the end of a growth spurt during which he gained 8 inches between his junior year in high school and his first year at Concordia. He yearned to prove himself at higher levels. He transferred to Indian Hills Community College, and playing well there led to Baylor. Omot went undrafted out of college but was undaunted when it came to having a professional career that has taken him to Macedonia, Holland, Turkey, Germany, Egypt, China and, most recently, Israel. In 2023, Omot was named Basketball Africa League MVP.

“I wasn’t highly recruited,” he said. “I started playing basketball in high school. I had to take out a loan my first year at a Division II college. I have a chip on my shoulder everywhere I play.”

Omot can drive to the rim and finish and has a reliable three-point shot. He’s part of a South Sudan squad that is quick and likes to shoot three-pointers. There are no current NBA players on the roster, but center Khaman Maluach will be a freshman at Duke and will be a high pick in the next NBA draft.

It’s a team worth rooting for. The president of the South Sudan Basketball Federation is former Timberwolves player Luol Deng, whose family fled Sudan amid civil war. He has personally bankrolled the program over the past few years to ensure proper training facilities and travel. Since 2011, when the country of South Sudan was founded, the basketball program has flourished.

Now South Sudan gets to face the mighty United States on Wednesday, and a win would put the Bright Stars into the quarterfinals. Team USA is a nearly 30-point favorite but escaped with a 101-100 win over South Sudan in a pre-tournament friendly July 20. Team USA needed a late bucket from LeBron James, then survived a flurry of shots by South Sudan to avoid one massive upset in international play.

“It was amazing,” Omot said. “We played against 12 supermax contract players. So to be able to compete against them — and to play against LeBron, who in my opinion is the greatest basketball player ever — it’s unbelievable.

“It shows what happens when you get an opportunity. And that was our opportunity to show the world that we can play.”

The rematch might be a little tougher for the Bright Stars, as Team USA head coach Steve Kerr will utilize more game strategy and not substitute five players at a time, like he did in the run-up to the Olympics. But Omot’s team is full of confidence and plans to make the opponent earn the victory. Interest will be high locally as Wolves fans will track Anthony Edwards’ every move and many of Omot’s friends and former coaches will tune in.

Hopefully, they play the correct anthem this time.

“Just to be a part of this is special,” Omot said. “Something that I’ll never forget, and I’ll always remember for the rest of my life that I’ll definitely cherish and be grateful for.”