Luol Deng, the Chicago Bulls’ forward is the ultimate ambassador. He’s not only a Nike athlete, but he’s a champion of ninemillion.org, ninemillion is the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee’s (UNHCR) campaign to raise awareness and support for educational opportunities for refugee youth; Nike is a founding partner. In July 2007, Luol signed on to the organization.

Deng’s leadership both on and off the court were realized once again at the Bulls vs. Suns basketball game in Chicago on February 14, 2008. To continue relief efforts for his native Sudan, Deng pledged to donate $50 to ninemillion.org for every basket that he makes this season. Deng’s donation (field goals plus free throws made) to the UNHCR’s ninemillion.org will help provide education, sport, water and schools for refugee children in Southern Sudan where Deng was born.

“I'm one of the fortunate ones to come here, to be alive and to have this opportunity. In South Sudan, 20 years of the war my family escaped when I was a child, has destroyed so much. But today thousands of people are now returning to their homes and communities, and this is the time they desperately need our help. I had to give something back and this is why I'm making a $50 per basket pledge...Please join me and others in supporting The UN Refugee Agency's ninemillion campaign to bring education, sport - and a sense of hope - to the children of South Sudan,” he said.

As a founding force behind ninemillion.org campaign, Nike assumed the responsibility for developing the campaign’s concept and content. To chronicle the reality of child refugees around the world, Nike sent a creative team to Azerbaijan, Thailand and Uganda. Those stories were building blocks for the campaign launch and are featured in a series of short films that can be viewed at media.ninemillion.org.

To kick off the campaign’s fundraising effort, the Nike Foundation announced a matching grant for the first US$1 million donated to the ninemillion.org fund. The match was completed within the first year. Nike also created and produced ninemillion.org T-shirts to help raise awareness and funds for the cause and devoted retail space in its NIKETOWN stores to promote the campaign. More than $100,000 was donated from T-shirt sales. An additional 100K was has been raised from Nike-hosted events benefiting ninemillion. In synch with the Euro Football Championships Summer 08, Nike EMEA will sell T-shirts to benefit ninemillion through select Nike retail outlets. In support of Deng's pledge, CharitaBulls presented the campaign with a $10,000 donation to tip off the fund-raising efforts in Southern Sudan.

The campaign reflects Nike’s strong belief in the power of sport to unleash potential. To help bring the joy of sport to refugee youth, Nike donated 40,000 ninemillion balls to UNHCR to benefit refugee youth worldwide. The balls have been sent to refugee youth in more than 50 countries.