A NBA star who grew up near Selhurst Park has revealed his dream is to buy the club.

Luol Deng, who played for Team GB at the London 2012 Olympics, said that he would love to buy Crystal Palace, so long as he becomes a billionaire.

Deng, who began his basketball career at Brixton Topcats, revealed his love for the Eagles in the run up to the NBA Global Games London clash between Denver Nuggets and Indiana Pacers on January 12 at The O2, North Greenwich.

The 31-year-old star, who currently plays for the Los Angeles Lakers, is actually an Arsenal fan but said when he was young he watched Crystal Palace play.

He said: “We just played Crystal Palace where Olivier Giroud scored that amazing scorpion-kick goal.

“But this is where it’s tough because I grew up three minutes from Selhurst Park and when I was young on match day there was a hill where we could watch the Palace through a gap in the stadium.

“Since then I’ve been a huge Crystal Palace fan. Arsenal’s my number one team, Crystal Palace is my second.

“I’m hoping they can stay up. I’ve always said that if I become a billionaire I’m buying Crystal Palace - It’s a dream of mine.”

Deng was born in South Sudan but moved to the UK when he was young. He became a naturalised UK citizen in 2006 in a ceremony in Croydon.

He played for England’s youth teams from the age of 13 and moved to the US at 14 to play basketball in New Jersey.