Jo Lual-Acuil

Joseph Lual-Acuil Jr. (born 26 April 1994) is a South Sudanese-Australian professional basketball player for the Sandringham Sabres of the NBL1 South. He played college basketball for Neosho County Community College and Baylor University. Lual-Acuil had a record-breaking season in the BAL in 2024, in which he won MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and broke the league scoring record.

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. Lual-Acuil attended Kingsway Christian College in Perth, Western Australia. 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.

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.

Baylor (2016–2018)
Lual-Acuil joined Baylor University in the summer of 2015, but sat out his first season for a heart condition. 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. 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. On 5 March 2017, Lual-Acuil earned a spot in the 2017 Big 12 All-Defensive Team and All-Newcomer Team.

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. 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. He graduated with a degree in Health Studies and Kinesiology.

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. On 6 February 2019, Lual-Acuil agreed terms to join the Hungarian team Atomerőmű SE, but eventually the deal fell through.

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. 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. 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. He returned to United for the 2020–21 NBL season and was named NBL Best Sixth Man while helping the team win the championship. He averaged 9.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game.

On 30 June 2021, Lual-Acuil re-signed with United for the 2021–22 NBL season.

China / Lebanon (2022–2023)
After playing for the Phoenix Suns in the 2022 NBA Summer League, Lual-Acuil joined the Nanjing Tongxi Monkey Kings of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) for the 2022–23 season. Following the CBA season, he joined Dynamo Lebanon of the Lebanese Basketball League.

Return to Melbourne (2023–2024)
On 12 April 2023, Lual-Acuil signed a two-year deal with Melbourne United, returning to the franchise for a second stint. On 7 July 2023, he was ruled out for four to five months with a right wrist injury. On 26 January 2024, he had a career-high 33 points and 13 rebounds in 23 minutes off the bench in a 93–77 win over the Brisbane Bullets.

At the conclusion of the 2023–24 NBL season, Lual-Acuil parted ways with United.

Al-Ahly Ly (2024)
In April 2024, Lual-Acuil joined Al-Ahly Ly of the Basketball Africa League (BAL) for the 2024 season. On 27 April 2024, he had 42 points and 13 rebounds in a 110–78 win over City Oilers, setting a new record for most points in a single game. He helped Al Ahly Ly reach the final, where they lost to Petro de Luanda. He was named the league's Most Valuable Player as well as the Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first player to win both awards in one season. Lual-Acuil led the league in scoring with 21.1 points per game, and also averaged 9.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game.

Sandringham Sabres (2024–present)
He is also set to join the Sandringham Sabres during the 2024 NBL1 South season.

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

Personal life
Lual-Acuil's father, Joseph, was South Sudan's first Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management. He is married and has two children.