Wenyen Gabriel
![]() Gabriel with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2022 | |
No. 35 – Los Angeles Lakers | |
---|---|
Position | Power forward |
League | NBA |
Personal information | |
Born | Khartoum, Sudan | March 26, 1997
Nationality | South Sudanese / American |
Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
Listed weight | 205 lb (93 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | |
College | Kentucky (2016–2018) |
NBA draft | 2018: undrafted |
Playing career | 2018–present |
Career history | |
2018–2020 | Sacramento Kings |
2018–2019 | →Stockton Kings |
2020 | Portland Trail Blazers |
2020–2021 | New Orleans Pelicans |
2021–2022 | Wisconsin Herd |
2021 | Brooklyn Nets |
2021–2022 | Los Angeles Clippers |
2022–present | Los Angeles Lakers |
Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Stats at NBA.com | |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com |
Wenyen Gabriel (born March 26, 1997) is a South Sudanese-American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats, after being a 5-star prospect in 2016, ranked as high as #14 on ESPN's Top 100. Gabriel has also played in the NBA for the Sacramento Kings, Portland Trail Blazers, New Orleans Pelicans, Brooklyn Nets, and Los Angeles Clippers.
High school career
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/52/2016_Jordan_Brand_Classic_%2826255716570%29.jpg/220px-2016_Jordan_Brand_Classic_%2826255716570%29.jpg)
Gabriel attended Wilbraham & Monson Academy in Wilbraham, Massachusetts since 2014.[1] Prior to that, he played at Trinity High School in Manchester, New Hampshire for three years.[2] As a senior in 2015-16, he averaged 22.0 points per game, 14.0 rebounds per game, 7.0 blocks per game and 6.3 assists per game. In October 2015, he announced his decision to enroll at the University of Kentucky. Maryland, Duke, UConn and Providence were other schools on his shortlist.[3] He played 19:17 minutes in the 2016 Nike Hoop Summit, scoring two points, grabbing four rebounds and dishing out two assists.[4] He also played in the 2016 Jordan Brand Classic. Gabriel was rated as a five-star recruit and ranked #14 in the Class of 2016 by ESPN.
College career
He made his debut for the Kentucky Wildcats in an exhibition game on October 31, 2016 against Clarion University, tallying nine points, two rebounds and one assist in 17 minutes coming off the bench.[5] As a freshman, he played in 38 games, including 23 starts, averaging 4.6 points and 4.8 rebounds in 17.8 minutes.[6] During his sophomore year, Gabriel became more of a key figure for Kentucky's success that season, tallying 6.8 points and 5.4 rebounds in 37 games. He led Kentucky with 40 blocked shots.[7]
Professional career
Sacramento Kings (2018–2020)
Gabriel declared for the 2018 NBA draft,[8] but went undrafted.[9] He joined the Sacramento Kings for the 2018 NBA Summer League.[10] On July 31, 2018, he signed a two-way contract with the Kings.[11] However, he did not appear in a game during that season.
Just prior to the start of the 2019–20 season, the Kings converted Gabriel’s contract to a standard deal.[12] He had a double-double of 16 points and 16 rebounds for the Stockton Kings on December 20, 2019, in a win over the Delaware Blue Coats.[13] On January 11, 2020, Gabriel had 37 points, 11 rebounds and three assists for Stockton in its 163–143 win over the Iowa Wolves.[14]
Portland Trail Blazers (2020)
On January 20, 2020, Gabriel was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers along with Trevor Ariza and Caleb Swanigan in exchange for Kent Bazemore, Anthony Tolliver and two future second round picks.[15] He made his debut for the Trail Blazers on January 31, going 0-for-3 from the field with one rebound, one assist and a block in 13 minutes as the Blazers defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 127–119.[16]
New Orleans Pelicans (2020–2021)
On November 30, 2020, Gabriel signed with the New Orleans Pelicans.[17] He was waived just prior to the start of the 2021–22 season.[18]
Wisconsin Herd (2021)
In October 2021, Gabriel joined the Wisconsin Herd as an affiliate player.[19] In 12 games he averaged 13.8 points on 47.5 percent shooting from the field and 38.7 percent shooting from 3-point range, 8.6 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.1 steals and 2.0 blocks in 25.8 minutes per contest.[20]
Brooklyn Nets (2021)
On December 21, 2021, Gabriel signed a 10-day contract with the Brooklyn Nets.[20]
Los Angeles Clippers (2021–2022)
On December 31, 2021, Gabriel signed a 10-day contract with the Los Angeles Clippers.[21] He signed a second 10-day contract with the Clippers on January 11, 2022.[22]
Return to Wisconsin (2022)
Following the expiration of his second 10-day contract, Gabriel was re-acquired by the Wisconsin Herd on January 21.[23]
On January 29, 2022, Gabriel signed a 10-day contract with the New Orleans Pelicans.[24] He did not play in a game for the Pelicans before his deal expired. On February 8, he was reacquired by the Herd.[25]
Los Angeles Lakers (2022–present)
On March 1, 2022, Gabriel signed a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.[26] On April 8, 2022, the Los Angeles Lakers converted Gabriel's two-way contract into a standard contract for the rest of the season.[27]
Career statistics
GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
NBA
Regular season
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2019–20 | Sacramento | 11 | 0 | 5.5 | .353 | .125 | .600 | .9 | .3 | .3 | .2 | 1.7 |
2019–20 | Portland | 19 | 1 | 9.2 | .484 | .417 | .750 | 2.2 | .3 | .4 | .3 | 2.7 |
2020–21 | New Orleans | 21 | 0 | 11.5 | .400 | .406 | .647 | 2.6 | .5 | .4 | .4 | 3.4 |
2021–22 | L.A. Clippers | 6 | 0 | 7.7 | .385 | .400 | .500 | 2.3 | .3 | .2 | .3 | 2.3 |
2021–22 | L.A. Lakers | 19 | 5 | 16.4 | .505 | .261 | .605 | 4.3 | .6 | .2 | .5 | 6.7 |
Career | 77 | 6 | 10.8 | .454 | .338 | .630 | 2.6 | .4 | .4 | .3 | 2.6 |
Playoffs
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2020 | Portland | 4 | 2 | 13.3 | .600 | .400 | .500 | 2.5 | 1.0 | .5 | .5 | 5.3 |
Career | 4 | 2 | 13.3 | .600 | .400 | .500 | 2.5 | 1.0 | .5 | .5 | 5.3 |
Personal life
Gabriel was born in Khartoum, Sudan, on March 26, 1997.[28] Because his sister – born a year earlier – had died in infancy, Gabriel was given the name "Wenyen", which means "wipe your tears" in his native Dinka language.[28] Two weeks after he was born, Gabriel's mother, Rebecca Gak, moved with him and his three siblings to Cairo, Egypt to escape the violence of the Second Sudanese Civil War.[28] While Gabriel's mother worked to earn enough money to move his father, Makuac, to Cairo, his seven-year-old brother, Komot, became Gabriel's primary care giver.[28][29] Two years after moving to Egypt, the United Nations granted an appeal to move the refugee family to Manchester, New Hampshire, an American city with a large South Sudanese population.[28]
Gabriel received a US passport in 2015[30] and represented the USA Basketball Junior National Select Team at the 2016 Nike Hoop Summit. He considers South Sudan his rightful home country.[31]
References
- ^ "Wenyen Gabriel's High School Basketball Stats". MaxPreps.com. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
- ^ "Ex-Trinity hoop star Wenyen Gabriel commits to Kentucky". UnionLeader.com. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
- ^ "Kentucky basketball: Wenyen Gabriel commits to Wildcats, coach John Calipari". UPI. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
- ^ "USA Wins Nike Hoop Summit 101-67". www.usab.com. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
- ^ "Live Basketball (M)! Clarion vs. Kentucky". University of Kentucky - Official Athletics Site. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
- ^ "Basketball (M) Stats - UK Wildcats". University of Kentucky - Official Athletics Site. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
- ^ "Wenyen Gabriel - 2017-18 Men's Basketball Roster - University of Kentucky". ukathletics.com. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
- ^ "Forty-three international early entry candidates withdraw from NBA Draft 2018". NBA.com. June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
- ^ Fisher, Chris (June 22, 2018). "NBA Draft 2018: Kentucky's Wenyen Gabriel goes undrafted". CatsPause. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
- ^ Pilgrim, Jack. "Official: Wenyen Gabriel joins Sacramento Kings for Summer League". KentuckySportsRadio.com. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
- ^ "Kings Sign Wenyen Gabriel to a Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. August 2, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
- ^ "Kings Announce Roster Moves Wenyen Gabriel Elevated to Roster Spot, DaQuan Jeffries Added as Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. October 21, 2019. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
- ^ "Kings' Wenyen Gabriel: Collects double-double Thursday". CBS Sports. December 20, 2019. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
- ^ "Kings' Wenyen Gabriel: Returns from G League". CBS Sports. January 12, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
- ^ "Trail Blazers Acquire Trevor Ariza, Wenyen Gabriel, and Caleb Swanigan from Sacramento". NBA.com. January 20, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
- ^ Aubin, John (February 1, 2020). "Wenyen Gabriel starts game for Blazers on Friday". Fantasy Pros. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
- ^ "Pelicans sign Wenyen Gabriel and Willy Hernangómez". NBA.com. November 30, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ^ Inabinett, Mark (October 13, 2021). "Pelicans adding third Alabama alumnus to training-camp roster". Al.com. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
- ^ "Wisconsin Herd Announces 2021 Training Camp Roster". OurSports Central.com. October 26, 2021. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
- ^ a b "BROOKLYN NETS SIGN WENYEN GABRIEL TO 10-DAY CONTRACT". NBA.com. December 21, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
- ^ "Clippers' Wenyen Gabriel: To sign with Clippers". CBS Sports. December 31, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
- ^ "Clippers' Wenyen Gabriel: Re-ups with Clippers". CBS Sports. January 11, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
- ^ "NBA G League Transactions".
- ^ "Pelicans sign Wenyen Gabriel to 10-day contract". NBA. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
- ^ "2021-22 NBA G League Transactions". gleague.nba.com. February 8, 2022. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
- ^ "Lakers Sign D.J. Augustin and Wenyen Gabriel". NBA. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
- ^ "Lakers Sign Wenyen Gabriel To Standard NBA Contract". NBA.com. April 8, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Tipton, Jerry (October 7, 2016). "Gabriel's journey to UK includes stops in Sudan, Cairo, New Hampshire". Lexington Herald-Leader. Archived from the original on December 27, 2016.
- ^ Braziller, Zach (August 22, 2015). "Wenyen Gabriel: From Africa war to doorstep of NCAA hoops elites". New York Post. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
- ^ "PREP SCHOOL BASKEBALL: Wilbraham & Monson standout Wenyen Gabriel selected to the USA Basketball Juniors National Team". www.bostonherald.com. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
- ^ "USA Selection Caps Rise For Wenyen Gabriel". www.usab.com. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com
- Official website
- Kentucky Wildcats bio
- 1997 births
- Living people
- American people of South Sudanese descent
- American people of Sudanese descent
- American sportspeople of African descent
- Basketball players from New Hampshire
- Brooklyn Nets players
- Dinka people
- Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players
- Los Angeles Clippers players
- Los Angeles Lakers players
- New Orleans Pelicans players
- People from Khartoum
- Portland Trail Blazers players
- Power forwards (basketball)
- Sacramento Kings players
- South Sudanese men's basketball players
- Sportspeople from Manchester, New Hampshire
- Sportspeople of South Sudanese descent
- Stockton Kings players
- Undrafted National Basketball Association players
- Wisconsin Herd players