Jo Lual-Acuil
Lual-Acuil with the Baylor Bears in 2017
No. 0 – Melbourne United
PositionCenter
LeagueNBL
Personal information
Born (1994-04-26) 26 April 1994
Wau, Sudan (now South Sudan)
NationalitySouth Sudanese / Australian
Listed height211 cm (6 ft 11 in)
Listed weight103 kg (227 lb)
Career information
High schoolKingsway Christian College
(Perth, Western Australia)
College
NBA draft2018: undrafted
Playing career2018–present
Career history
2018–2019Hapoel Jerusalem
2019→Hapoel Galil Elyon
2019–2022Melbourne United
2022–2023Nanjing Tongxi Monkey Kings
2023Dynamo Lebanon
2023–presentMelbourne United
Career highlights and awards

Joseph Lual-Acuil Jr. (born 26 April 1994) is a South Sudanese-Australian professional basketball player for Melbourne United of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for Neosho County Community College and Baylor University.

Early life

Lual-Acuil was born in Wau, South Sudan. Due to the civil war, he was relocated to a refugee camp in Uganda at the age of three where he lived for three years until his family moved to Australia.[1] Lual-Acuil attended Kingsway Christian College in Perth, Western Australia.[2] He was a soccer player growing up, but picked up the game of basketball after his soccer coach suggested he play for the team one year.[3]

College career

Neosho County CC (2013–2015)

Lual-Acuil played two seasons for Neosho County Community College. In his sophomore year at Neosho County, he averaged 20.1 points, 11.2 rebounds and 4.7 blocks while playing all 30 games. He was named 2015 Jayhawk Conference Defensive Player of the Year and earned a spot in the All-Conference First Team and All-Region First Team.[2]

Baylor (2016–2018)

Lual-Acuil joined Baylor University in the summer of 2015, but sat out his first season for a heart condition.[4] In his year off, Lual-Acuil focused on improving his fitness and strength.

In his junior year, Lual-Acuil was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week for games played from 12 December through 18 December.[5] In 35 games played during the 2016–17 season, Lual-Acuil averaged 9.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game and helped the Bears to a 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament.[3] On 5 March 2017, Lual-Acuil earned a spot in the 2017 Big 12 All-Defensive Team and All-Newcomer Team.[6]

On 17 December 2017, Lual-Acuil recorded a double-double and college career-highs of 31 points and 20 rebounds, shooting 10-of-15 from the field, along with three blocks and two assists in a 118–86 blowout win over Savannah State.[7] Lual-Acuil finished his senior year averaging 14 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. On 8 March 2018, Lual-Acuil earned a spot in the 2018 All-Big 12 Third Team.[8] He graduated with a degree in Health Studies and Kinesiology.[3]

Professional career

Hapoel Jerusalem (2018–2019)

On 13 August 2018, Lual-Acuil started his professional career with Hapoel Jerusalem of the Israeli Premier League, signing a three-year deal.[9] On 6 February 2019, Lual-Acuil agreed terms to join the Hungarian team Atomerőmű SE,[10] but eventually the deal fell through.[11]

Hapoel Galil Elyon (2019)

On 10 February 2019, Lual-Acuil was loaned to Hapoel Galil Elyon of the Israeli National League for the rest of the season.[11] On 5 March 2019, Lual-Acuil recorded a season-high 27 points in his fourth game with Galil Elyon, shooting 11-of-17 from the field, along with eleven rebounds and three blocks in an 86–65 win over Hapoel Kfar Saba.[12] In 19 games played for Galil Elyon, he led the league in blocks with 2.3 per game, while averaging 16.6 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. Lual-Acuil helped Galil Elyon reach the league finals, where they eventually were defeated by Maccabi Haifa.

Melbourne United (2019–2022)

On 20 August 2019, Lual-Acuil signed with Melbourne United in Australia for the 2019–20 NBL season.[13] During the 2020–21 season, he was named NBL Best Sixth Man and helped lead Melbourne to a title. Lual-Acuil averaged 9.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game.[14]

On 30 June 2021, Lual-Acuil re-signed with United on a one-year deal.[15]

China / Lebanon (2022–2023)

After playing for the Phoenix Suns in the 2022 NBA Summer League,[16] Lual-Acuil joined the Nanjing Tongxi Monkey Kings of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) for the 2022–23 season.[17] Following the CBA season, he joined Dynamo Lebanon of the Lebanese Basketball League.[18]

Return to Melbourne (2023–present)

On 12 April 2023, Lual-Acuil signed a two-year deal with Melbourne United, returning to the franchise for a second stint.[19] On 7 July 2023, he was ruled out for four to five months with a right wrist injury.[20]

National team

In 2022, Lual-Acuil was selected to play for the South Sudanese national team in the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers.[21]

Personal life

Lual-Acuil's father, Joseph, was South Sudan's first Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management.[2]

References

  1. ↑ Randall, Michael (25 December 2019). "Melbourne United's Jo Lual-Acuil Jr opens up on his tough formative years and how his family shaped the man he is today". Herald Sun. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 "Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. – Baylor University". BaylorBears.com. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 Tyler, Chris (25 February 2018). "Australian big man Lual-Acuil helped resurrect the Baylor Bears". ESPN. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  4. ↑ "Baylor center Acuil sidelined 8 weeks with potential heart issues". wacotrib.com. 16 October 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  5. ↑ "Mitrou-Long, Lual-Acuil Gather Early Holiday Honors". big12sports.com. 19 December 2016. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  6. ↑ "Three Teams Lead Men's Basketball Awards". big12sports.com. 5 March 2017. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  7. ↑ "Lual-Acuil 30/20 Game Leads MBB Past Savannah State". BaylorBears.com. 17 December 2017. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  8. ↑ "Three Baylor basketball players given Big 12 honors". dallasnews.com. 8 March 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  9. ↑ "Hapoel Jerusalem signs rookie Joseph Lual-Acuil Jr to a multi-year deal". Sportando.basketball. 13 August 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  10. ↑ "Hivatalos: Jo Lual-Acuil az ASE új centere". kezdo5.hu (in Hungarian). 6 February 2019. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  11. 1 2 "לואל אצ'ויל הושאל לגליל העליון". IsraelHayom.co.il (in Hebrew). 10 February 2019. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  12. ↑ "הפועל כפר סבא שלום 65 – 86 הפועל גליל עליון צפת". ibasketball.co.il (in Hebrew). 5 March 2019. Archived from the original on 25 May 2019. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
  13. ↑ "United Complete Roster with Jo Lual-Acuil Jr". NBL.com.au. 20 August 2019. Archived from the original on 20 August 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  14. ↑ Uluc, Olgun (26 June 2021). "NBL Free Agency: who's on the move". ESPN. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  15. ↑ "Lual-Acuil Jr re-signs with United for another season". MelbourneUTD.com.au. 30 June 2021. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
  16. ↑ "Phoenix Suns 2022 NBA2K23 Summer League Roster". nba.com. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  17. ↑ "Jo Lual-Acuil Jr". asia-basket.com. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  18. ↑ "JLA goes off for 51 points on debut in Lebanon". NBL.com.au. 29 April 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  19. ↑ "Jo Lual-Acuil Jr to rejoin United in NBL24". MelbourneUTD.com.au. 12 April 2023. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  20. ↑ "Lual-Acuil Jr to miss start of season with injury". MelbourneUTD.com.au. 7 July 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  21. ↑ "Senegal make it rain 3pts to slow down South Sudan". FIBA.Basketball. 26 August 2022. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
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