Despite being selected to the initial 25-man roster, Phoenix Suns big man Bol Bol will reportedly not suit up for South Sudan during the 2024 Olympics. According to Leonard Solms of ESPN, Bol will miss the entire Olympics run for “personal reasons.”
South Sudan have suffered a major blow ahead of the Olympics as their headline player, the Phoenix Suns’ Bol Bol, is out of the roster for Paris for undisclosed “personal reasons”.
Ajou Deng, an assistant coach for the national team and the older brother of the South Sudan Basketball Federation’s president, Luol Deng, confirmed to ESPN that Bol would not make it to the Olympics, despite having been included on their initial 25-man roster for the recent training camp in Kigali.
South Sudan will now face the monstrous Team USA on Saturday, July 20 without the Oregon alum. The final roster for South Sudan’s Olympic team is set to officially be released following Saturday’s game.
Phoenix Suns Big Man Out For Rest of Olympics
Where Bol Bol Stands in the NBA
Last season was Bol’s first with the Suns. On the year, he appeared in 43 games and averaged 10.9 minutes per game. In those games, Bol averaged 5.2 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. Last month, the Suns and Bol agreed to a one-year deal to bring him back to Phoenix. An intriguing big man, there is a lot to be excited about in regard to his game. Bol is 7’3″ and has a unique skillset. His offensive game is mostly based on the perimeter.
In February, teammate Kevin Durant spoke about Bol, saying he is “rooting for him.”
“I love what he brings. I love everything about Bol. You can tell everybody loves Bol. Rooting for him.” Kevin Durant on Bol Bol. #Suns pic.twitter.com/V0shLbCSEq
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) February 7, 2024
Additionally, due to his unique playstyle, Bol has received comparisons to reigning Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs. More specifically, Bol has received these comparisons from NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal.
“Bol Bol can do everything Wemby can do and even a little better: dribble behind the back, shoot the three, nice handle, the floater game. He’s just lazy.”
Shaq comparing Bol Bol to Victor Wembanyama 🧐
(via @bigpodwithshaq)pic.twitter.com/EUOf512ITa
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 24, 2024
While these comparisons are not necessarily fair, it does highlight how much talent the Suns big man has. He still has yet to fully piece everything together, but it is clear that the 24-year-old can still have an impact in the game and become a special player.
The Last Word
Bol is an interesting player and should only get better with the Suns choosing Mike Budenholzer as their next head coach. It is unfortunate for Bol and South Sudan that he will not participate in the Olympics this summer. Losing him is a big blow to the team looking to make its presence felt this summer. For now, it will be interesting to see where the team goes from here to make up for Bol’s absence.
