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Colin Jackson: You're playing for one of the most famous basketball teams in the world at the age of 22. How does that make you feel?

Luol Deng: It's unbelievable! I still wake up every day and pinch myself. When I was growing up the Chicago Bulls were my team and now I'm wearing the jersey! It's an amazing feeling!

CJ: How did you get into basketball?

LD: I was born in Sudan but my family moved to Egypt when I was five-years-old. There I was introduced to basketball by former NBA player Manute Bol who was teaching my brother. At the time the only thing we knew about the NBA was that Michael Jordan played for the Chicago Bulls.

We moved to England when I was nine-years-old and one day my brother took me to Brixton where I was introduced to Jimmy Rodgers. I loved going there because, although basketball isn't that popular in England, in that particular place everybody wanted to do it and there was a real family atmosphere.

When I was 14 I won a basketball scholarship to study in a high school in the US. I did pretty well there and by my senior year I was ranked second in the US high school league. After that I went to Duke University, which is known for its basketball programme, before being drafted to the Chicago Bulls in 2004.

CJ: That's an incredible story!

LD: It could be, but I never looked at it that way. I was just playing basketball and having fun.

CJ: I was at the game when you played the Atlanta Hawks in Chicago and every time you came onto the court there was a buzz of anticipation. Do you feel that when you go onto the court?

LD: When you go out there, no matter how you do, the fans appreciate it when you play hard and you hustle, and that's what I try to do.

CJ: How many hours a day do you practice?

LD: During the season I come in and spend about an hour and a half each day shooting and working on my skills. It's difficult to practise so much during the season because we play over 100 games but I try to work harder during the summer. During the summer I spend up to six hours a day practising but as soon as the season starts everything is focused on the team.

CJ: How long do you hope to be playing basketball?

LD: As an athlete you never know how long it'll last. You never think it's going to be over. I feel like I could play this forever, but I know it's not going to happen. I'll play for as long as it's still fun.

CJ: You won the NBA sportsmanship award in 2007. How important was it for you to win that?

LD: It was a big surprise. It's not really an award that you can try to win. You try to be the best player you can be and you work hard. They gave me the award for just being myself. You can't say anything more than that. It's a great award.

CJ: The general manager for the Chicago Bulls, John Paxson, has been quoted as saying that you epitomise everything that he hoped for both as a person and a basketball player. How does that make you feel?

LD: That's amazing! I take the personal compliments more seriously because there were great basketball players before I came into the game and there will be more after I'm gone, but basketball is just a game you play. If someone says they like you as a person, that goes a long way. It says a lot about you and it says a lot about your family.

CJ: What skills have you gained from playing basketball?

LD: Basketball is a team sport and it teaches you a lot of discipline. It teaches you how to manage your time in the right way so that you get the right amount of rest and are able to take care of your body. The main thing it teaches you is how to work well with others because in basketball, if you're selfish, you're not going to get anywhere with the team.

CJ: As a big star you're an influential role model to a lot of kids who think they're having a tough time. What message could you give to them to say 'Hang on guys - be real?'

LD: Sometimes you can get caught up in your own little world but there is always someone out there having it tougher. If you turn on the news you'll see kids struggling to get one meal a day. There are kids that hear gunshots outside their house all day long. Some of them don't have any parents and some of them can hardly walk. That's what I call tough.

When I see what's going on in Sudan right now it breaks my heart. I was lucky enough to leave when I was five, but if I hadn't you could be seeing me starving on the news or fighting in a civil war. I just happened to be very lucky. I know how blessed I am and I always keep that in mind. Just take a minute and think how good you have it.