Kings star shines against Team USA

Sydney Kings star Bul Kuol has made a name for himself on the world stage with a sparkling performance for South Sudan in the nation’s match-up against the USA at the Olympics on Thursday morning.

Despite the powerful USA squad taking out a 103-86 victory, Kuol earned the respect of his NBA opposition with 16 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Matched up with Kevin Durant for large portions of the game, Kuol made nothing easy for the 2014 NBA MVP and two-time NBA champion.

“Oh, he’s in Australia? Yeah man, he’s super physical. Love his intensity, I respect how he approaches the game. They didn’t back down at all,” Durant said of Kuol and South Sudan, via ESPN.

Four-time NBA champion and two-time NBA MVP Steph Curry also heaped praise on South Sudan, who are emerging as a powerhouse in global basketball.

"They fact that they're on this stage and won their first game a couple of days go. So who knows how far they can take it?" Curry said via AAP.

"You're rooting for them, except when we play them."

Majok Deng played nine minutes in the defeat, while fellow NBL players Jackson Makoi and Sunday Dech also hit the court.

The USA had six players score in double-digits, led by Bam Adebayo’s 18 points.

South Sudan’s next Olympic game is against Serbia at 5am AEST on Sunday morning, as they look to advance to the knockout stages.