BIO: South Sudanese born, before moving to Australia as a six-year-old, after spending time in a Kenyan refugee camp.

He spent his teenage years growing up in Sydney and began playing basketball with the Blacktown Storm (NSW).

NBL EXPERIENCE

Deng Acuoth made his NBL debut with the Sydney Kings at 21 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.

During his first NBL season, Acouth saw limited playing opportunities with the Kings. Sydney finished the season in seventh place (11-17).

2018/19
The Sydney Kings entered the 2018-19 season with lofty expectations, bolstered by the signing of Andrew Bogut, who returned to Australia after a 14-year NBA career, which included an NBA championship with the Golden State Warriors in 2015.

The Kings also became the first team to take advantage of the NBL’s new Next Stars program, bringing in highly regarded prospect Brian Bowen, a McDonald’s All-American, to develop his skills ahead of the NBA Draft. Other notable additions to the roster included Jerome Randle, David Wear (from Spain), Deng Deng (via Big V – McKinnon), Kyle Adnam (via Melbourne), and Tom Wilson (via Melbourne).

Deng Acuoth, in his role as a development player, saw limited game time, appearing in just 6 games and failing to score during the season. His contributions were primarily behind the scenes, where he focused on sharpening his skills and providing energy in practice sessions. Although his minutes on the court were minimal, his effort and readiness to step up when called upon reflected the team-first mentality embraced by the Kings.

Acuoth’s development throughout the season was closely monitored by the coaching staff, who recognized his potential for growth. While his impact was not immediately seen on the stat sheet, his experience as part of a successful, playoff-bound squad added valuable experience as he continued to work on his game.

The Kings finished the regular season in third place with an 18-10 record but were eliminated in the semifinals by Melbourne United. Though Acuoth’s role remained limited during the playoffs, being part of a deep and competitive team environment continued to contribute to his development as a young player.

SOUTH EAST MELBOURNE PHOENIX
2019/20
In 2019, Deng Acuoth joined the NBL’s newest franchise, the South East Melbourne Phoenix. The team appointed Simon Mitchell as their inaugural head coach and made a splash by signing Boomers forward Mitch Creek as their marquee player. To build a competitive roster, the Phoenix brought in experienced talent like Ben Madgen (from Europe), Kyle Adnam (from Melbourne), and Adam Gibson (from Adelaide). They rounded out the squad with imports John Roberson, Tai Wesley (from Melbourne), and Devondrick Walker (from the state league).

The Phoenix’s highly anticipated debut came against their cross-town rivals, Melbourne United, in what became known as ‘The Throwdown.’ South East Melbourne stunned United by winning the game by three points (91-88), thanks to their impressive shooting from beyond the arc, hitting 12 of 23 from three-point range. This perimeter-focused style became a hallmark for the team, who led the league in scoring with an average of 95.4 points per game.

The victory came at a cost, however, as Tai Wesley, who had scored eight points early in the game, suffered a hamstring injury just five minutes in. His absence lasted ten weeks, and the Phoenix brought in Jaye Crockett (8.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.0 steals) as an injury replacement.

Following their season-opening win, the Phoenix continued their strong start, defeating the Brisbane Bullets (113-93) and Illawarra Hawks (106-102), putting them at 3-0 in their inaugural season. However, their first real test came in Round 4 with an away game against the Perth Wildcats. Despite slow starts from Perth’s stars Bryce Cotton (16 points) and Terrico White (17 points), Perth handed South East Melbourne their first defeat (110-79), snapping their winning streak.

After this heavy loss, victories became harder to come by. The Phoenix struggled against teams like Adelaide, Sydney, and United, and by mid-season, they found themselves at an even six wins and six losses, sitting just outside the top four. During this period, the team also parted ways with Devondrick Walker (7.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 0.9 assists) due to underwhelming performance following his recovery from a foot injury. Keith Benson (5.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks) was brought in as a replacement, though he also struggled to make a significant impact.

The Phoenix leaned heavily on their star players, Mitch Creek (20.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.2 steals) and John Roberson (20.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 5.5 assists), but consistency eluded them. Over their next 16 games, South East Melbourne managed only 3 wins while suffering 13 losses, finishing their season with an eight-game losing streak. By the end of the 20-round season, the Phoenix ended up second-last with a 9-19 record.

Acuoth saw limited action during the season, appearing in 9 games but failing to score. His role, similar to his previous seasons, was more about development and providing support during practice sessions as the team navigated their challenging debut season.

ADELAIDE 36ERS
2022/23
Adelaide entered CJ Bruton’s second season as coach after finishing seventh with a 10-18 record. Mitch McCarron, Daniel Johnson, Sunday Dech, Hyrum Harris, Kai Sotto and Nick Marshall returned, while Isaac Humphries (to Melbourne), Mojave King (to G League Ignite), Todd Withers (to Rytas Vilnius), Cameron Bairstow (retired), Dusty Hannahs (free agent), Tad Dufelmeier Jr (free agent) and Emmanuel Malou (free agent) exited. Anthony Drmic (via Brisbane), Antonius Cleveland (via Illawarra), Robert Franks (via Brisbane), Craig Randall II (via Long Island Nets), Kyrin Galloway (via New Zealand) and Deng Acuoth (via Knox) were added.

Acuoth signed a one-year deal after helping South Sudan make an undefeated start to its 2023 FIBA World Cup qualification campaign. Bruton expected him to provide rim protection behind Adelaide’s established big men, while Acuoth said, “I’m ready to come in and make an impact for Adelaide.”

A Basketball Australia tribunal suspended him for Adelaide’s opening game after he placed bets on NBL matches while playing in NBL1 and before joining the 36ers. Acuoth received a 10-game suspension, with nine games suspended subject to no further breaches, and was permitted to participate in Adelaide’s NBLxNBA games.

After missing the opener, Acuoth played the final six seconds against Illawarra on October 15 as Adelaide won 90-80 behind Randall II (28 points, 4 assists, and 1 steal) and Cleveland (16 points, 2 steals, and 2 blocks), while Deng Deng (18 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals) led the Hawks.

Acuoth (0.3 points across 13 games) played only 38 minutes for the season as Franks, Johnson, Sotto, Harris and Galloway received most of Adelaide’s frontcourt opportunities. His best game came in Cairns on January 30, where Acuoth (3 points and 2 rebounds) made three free throws during 3:07 as Adelaide held on for a 99-96 win. Cleveland (27 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals) and Franks (20 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 block) led the 36ers, while Hogg (26 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks) was Cairns’ best.

Franks (17.7 points and 6.5 rebounds), Cleveland (15.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.9 steals), Johnson (11.1 points and 5.3 rebounds), Drmic (10.3 points and 3.4 rebounds), McCarron (7.8 points, 5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.6 steals), Dech (7.3 points) and Sotto (6.8 points and 4.5 rebounds) led Adelaide before Melbourne defeated the 36ers 116-107 in their final game, leaving Adelaide eighth with a 13-15 record.Deng Acuoth played four seasons across three NBL teams. This included the Sydney Kings, South East Melbourne Phoenix and Adelaide 36ers..