Former Chaminade University guard Kuany Kuany is officially an Olympian.
On Wednesday, the former Silversword was announced by the South Sudan Basketball Federation as one of the 12 members of its national team, which will be making their Olympic Games debut in the sport of basketball next week in Paris.
"It means a lot," Kuany told GoSwords.com after the squad arrived in France. "For the team, it's been a first for everything – first team to play in the AfroBasket tournament, the FIBA World Cup, now the Olympics."
Kuany, a member of head coach Eric Bovaird's Chaminade squad from 2013-17, has been playing for South Sudan, nicknamed the Bright Stars, for the last four years. He is also the team captain, a position he's held each year he's been with them.
"It's so meaningful to be the captain," he said. "We have a great brotherhood; everyone is professional, on- and off-the-court.
South Sudan made worldwide headlines on July 20 with their near mega-upset of the United States in London. Team USA features, among others, future Hall-of-Famers LeBron James and Stephen Curry.
"It was a like a dream come true to play LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis and Jayson Tatum, who just won an NBA title," Kuany said. "Going up against them was kind of surreal. After the game, we were the No. 1 trend on X (formerly Twitter) and No. 1 in Google searches. But it kind of shows how far we've come as a team."
Kuany was also grateful for the positive headlines that developed from their competitive game against the Americans, who are the heavy favorites to win the gold medal.
"It brought so much joy for us," he said. "The war in Sudan, famine, a lot of negative things that the media portrays our country. But we are a nation blessed with great athletes and natural resources. It shows the world what we have to offer in a positive light."
Kuany is just one of several of the Bright Stars team members who were born in Sudan before fleeing as refugees to either the United States, Europe or – in Kuany's case – Australia, where his family settled in Melbourne. South Sudan gained its independence in 2011.
One of the most decorated players in Chaminade history, Kuany is the Silverswords' first-ever four-time All-Pacific West Conference honoree, earning second team honors during his freshman and juniors years and third team kudos as a sophomore and senior. The 30-year-old ranks third in the all-time scoring list with 1,600 points while he is also the No. 2 career rebounder with 876. Kuany also still holds the single-game school record for rebounds with 22 set in February 2014. He also helped the 'Swords capture the 2014 PacWest Tournament title and two berths into the NCAA West Regionals.
"Kuany was not only a great four-year player for us, but he's a great human being," Bovaird said. "He is one of the most loved players we've ever had. We are so proud of him being captain of the South Sudan team. I always knew he would go on to great things."
Since his departure from Chaminade, Kuany has played professionally, his first four years in Australia with stints with the Cairns Taipans, Ballarat Miners, Sydney Kings and Sandringham Sabers. In 2021, he headed to Europe, playing in Croatia followed by Finland a year later.
"My time at Chaminade was great," Kuany recalled. "As a Division II school playing against top opponents in the Maui Invitational, people saw us as the underdogs every time. I feel the same with South Sudan as being the underdogs each game. We believe in ourselves and work really hard to accomplish our goals.
"I learned a lot and loved being a part of the Chaminade ohana. Coach Bovaird taught me a lot during my time there. I also appreciate the school, the students and church, which helped set me up for the future and where I am now."
South Sudan, assigned to Group C, opens the Paris Olympics on Sunday against Puerto Rico (Saturday at 11 p.m. Hawai'i time). The game will be on Peacock, NBC's streaming platform, and televised on CNBC. They will also have a rematch against the United States on July 31 then complete group play on Aug. 3 against Serbia, led by three-time NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic.
