Summary

In Chapter 1, Samuel “Sooley” Sooleymon was 17 years of age when he was invited to join the national team from South Sudan. He lived in the remote village of Lotta with his parents and three siblings. Samuel’s mother, Beatrice, was a homemaker. She, like most Sudanese women, had little education. His father, Ayak, taught in the two-room hut that served as a school. Samuel had grown up playing basketball on a dirt court. The sport was a distraction from the poverty and civil war that dominated the country.

Samuel was the best basketball player in his village, even though his passing was erratic and his shooting was only mediocre. Samuel dreamed of playing in the NBA. NBA players from South Sudan, like Niollo, were respected like gods.

In Chapter 2, Samuel rode on a hot, dusty bus for six hours and then walked a...