Wenyen Gabriel (born March 26, 1997) is a South Sudanese-American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

(NBA). He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the

Kentucky Wildcats The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky (UK), a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. The Kentucky Wildcats is the student body of the University of Kentucky. 30,473 ...

, 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 The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

, New Orleans Pelicans,

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The ...

, and

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

High school career

Gabriel attended

Wilbraham & Monson Academy Wilbraham & Monson Academy (WMA) is a college-preparatory school located in Wilbraham, Massachusetts. Founded in 1804, it is a four-year boarding and day high school for students in Grades 9-12 and postgraduate. A middle school, with Grades 6–8 ...

in Wilbraham,

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

since 2014. Prior to that, he played at

Trinity High School Trinity High School is the name of high schools: United Kingdom * Trinity High School, Renfrew, Renfrewshire, Scotland * Trinity High School, Rutherglen, Lanarkshire, Scotland * Trinity High School and Sixth Form Centre, in Redditch, England *Trini ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...

for three years. 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 The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...

UConn The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from ...

and Providence were other schools on his shortlist. He played 19:17 minutes in the 2016

Nike Hoop Summit The Nike Hoop Summit is an international men's basketball all-star game sponsored by Nike, held once a year since 1995, except from 2001–2003, which features the USA Basketball Men's Junior Select Team against a World Select Team of international ...

, scoring two points, grabbing four rebounds and dishing out two assists. He also played in the 2016

Jordan Brand Classic The Jordan Brand Classic is a high school All-Star basketball game played annually in April. The game's rosters feature the best and most highly recruited high school boys in the senior class including alumns like Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, Bl ...

. Gabriel was rated as a five-star recruit and ranked #14 in the Class of 2016 by

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...

College career

He made his debut for the

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. As a freshman, he played in 38 games, including 23 starts, averaging 4.6 points and 4.8 rebounds in 17.8 minutes. 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.

Professional career

Sacramento Kings (2018–2020)

Gabriel declared for the 2018 NBA draft, but went undrafted. He joined the

for the 2018 NBA Summer League. On July 31, 2018, he signed a two-way contract with the Kings. 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. 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 The Delaware Blue Coats are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Wilmington, Delaware, and are affiliated with the Philadelphia 76ers. The Blue Coats play their home games at Chase Fieldhouse. The team was found ...

. On January 11, 2020, Gabriel had 37 points, 11 rebounds and three assists for Stockton in its 163–143 win over the

Iowa Wolves The Iowa Wolves are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Des Moines, Iowa, and are affiliated with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Wolves play their home games at the Wells Fargo Arena and compete in the Western ...

Portland Trail Blazers (2020)

On January 20, 2020, Gabriel was traded to the

along with

Trevor Ariza Trevor Anthony Ariza (born June 30, 1985) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He won an NBA championship in his first stint with the Lakers in 2009 ...

and Caleb Swanigan in exchange for

Kent Bazemore Kenneth Lamont "Kent" Bazemore Jr. (born July 1, 1989) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). As a junior at Old Dominion University in 2010–11, Ba ...

Anthony Tolliver Anthony Lamar Tolliver (born June 1, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Creighton Bluejays, and played 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 11 different franchis ...

and two future second round picks. 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.

New Orleans Pelicans (2020–2021)

On November 30, 2020, Gabriel signed with the New Orleans Pelicans. He was waived just prior to the start of the 2021–22 season.

Wisconsin Herd (2021)

In October 2021, Gabriel joined the

Wisconsin Herd The Wisconsin Herd are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and are affiliated with the Milwaukee Bucks. The Herd play their home games at Oshkosh Arena. History On June 29, 2016, it was annou ...

as an affiliate player. 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.

Brooklyn Nets (2021)

On December 21, 2021, Gabriel signed a 10-day contract with the

Los Angeles Clippers (2021–2022)

On December 31, 2021, Gabriel signed a 10-day contract with the

. He signed a third 10-day contract with the Clippers on January 11, 2022.

Return to Wisconsin (2022)

Following the expiration of his second 10-day contract, Gabriel was re-acquired by the

on January 21. On January 29, 2022, Gabriel signed a 10-day contract with the New Orleans Pelicans. He did not play in a game for the Pelicans before his deal expired. On February 8, he was reacquired by the Herd.

Los Angeles Lakers (2022–present)

On March 1, 2022, Gabriel signed a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. On April 8, 2022, the Los Angeles Lakers converted Gabriel's

two-way contract A two-way contract is a professional sports contract that stipulates that an athlete's salary is dependent upon the league in which the athlete is assigned to play. This is opposed to a one-way contract that would pay the same salary regardless of ...

into a standard contract for the rest of the season. Wenyen Gabriel 2023

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, 11 , , 0 , , 5.5 , , .353 , , .125 , , .600 , , .9 , , .3 , , .3 , , .2 , , 1.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

, 19 , , 1 , , 9.2 , , .484 , , .417 , , .750 , , 2.2 , , .3 , , .4 , , .3 , , 2.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, 21 , , 0 , , 11.5 , , .400 , , .406 , , .647 , , 2.6 , , .5 , , .4 , , .4 , , 3.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, 1 , , 0 , , 1.0 , , – , , – , , – , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 6 , , 0 , , 7.7 , , .385 , , .400 , , .500 , , 2.3 , , .3 , , .2 , , .3 , , 2.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

L.A. Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

, 19 , , 5 , , 16.4 , , .505 , , .261 , , .605 , , 4.3 , , .6 , , .2 , , .5 , , 6.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 77 , , 6 , , 10.8 , , .454 , , .338 , , .630 , , 2.6 , , .4 , , .4 , , .3 , , 2.6

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 4 , , 2 , , 13.3 , , .600 , , .400 , , .500 , , 2.5 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , .5 , , 5.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 4 , , 2 , , 13.3 , , .600 , , .400 , , .500 , , 2.5 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , .5 , , 5.3

Personal life

Gabriel was born in

Khartoum Khartoum or Khartum ( ; ar, الخرطوم, Al-Khurṭūm, din, Kaartuɔ̈m) is the capital of Sudan. With a population of 5,274,321, its metropolitan area is the largest in Sudan. It is located at the confluence of the White Nile, flowing n ...

, Sudan, on March 26, 1997. 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 Dinka (natively , or simply ) is a Nilotic dialect cluster spoken by the Dinka people, the major ethnic group of South Sudan. There are several main varieties, Padang, Rek, Agaar, Bor, Hol, Twic East, Twic, which are distinct enough (though ...

. Two weeks after he was born, Gabriel's mother, Rebecca Gak, moved with him and his three siblings to

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the Capital city, capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, List of ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

to escape the violence of the

Second Sudanese Civil War The Second Sudanese Civil War was a conflict from 1983 to 2005 between the central Sudanese government and the Sudan People's Liberation Army. It was largely a continuation of the First Sudanese Civil War of 1955 to 1972. Although it originated ...

. 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. Two years after moving to Egypt, the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

granted an appeal to move the refugee family to

Manchester, New Hampshire Manchester is a city in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. It is the most populous city in New Hampshire. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 115,644. Manchester is, along with Nashua, one of two seats of New Ha ...

, an American city with a large South Sudanese population. Gabriel received a US passport in 2015 and represented the USA Basketball Junior National Select Team at the 2016

. He considers

South Sudan South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the ...

his rightful home country.

References

External links

*
Kentucky Wildcats bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gabriel, Wenyen 1997 births Living people American people of South Sudanese descent American people of Sudanese 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