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Wenyen Gabriel

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Wenyen Gabriel
Gabriel with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2022
No. 32 – Panathinaikos
PositionCenter / power forward
LeagueGBL
EuroLeague
Personal information
Born (1997-03-26) March 26, 1997 (age 27)
Khartoum, Sudan
NationalitySouth Sudanese / American
Listed height6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeKentucky (2016–2018)
NBA draft2018: undrafted
Playing career2018–present
Career history
2018–2020Sacramento Kings
2018–2019→ Stockton Kings
2020Portland Trail Blazers
2020–2021New Orleans Pelicans
2021–2022Wisconsin Herd
2021Brooklyn Nets
2021–2022Los Angeles Clippers
2022–2023Los Angeles Lakers
2023–2024Wisconsin Herd
2024Memphis Grizzlies
2024Vaqueros de Bayamón
2024Maccabi Tel Aviv
2024–presentPanathinaikos
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Wenyen Gabriel (born March 26, 1997) is a South Sudanese-American professional basketball player for Panathinaikos of the Greek Basketball League (GBL) and the EuroLeague. 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, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, and the Memphis Grizzlies.

High school career

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Gabriel (32) at the 2016 Jordan Brand Classic

Gabriel attended Wilbraham & Monson Academy in Wilbraham, Massachusetts beginning in 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

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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

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Sacramento Kings (2018–2020)

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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)

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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)

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On November 30, 2020, Gabriel signed with the New Orleans Pelicans.[17] In 21 games with the team he averaged 11.5 minutes, 3.5 points, 2.69 rebounds, and 0.4 blocks per game. He was waived just prior to the start of the 2021–22 season.[18]

Wisconsin Herd (2021)

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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)

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On December 21, 2021, Gabriel signed a 10-day contract with the Brooklyn Nets.[20] He played one game for the team.

Los Angeles Clippers (2021–2022)

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On December 31, 2021, Gabriel signed a 10-day contract with the Los Angeles Clippers.[21] He signed a third 10-day contract with the Clippers on January 11, 2022.[22]

Return to Wisconsin (2022)

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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 (2022–2023)

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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 two-year standard contract.[27] With the Lakers, in 68 games in which he played 15.1 minutes per game, he averaged 5.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 0.5 blocks per game, with a .596 field goal percentage.

On October 3, 2023, Gabriel signed with the Boston Celtics,[28] but was waived on October 20.[29]

Third stint with Wisconsin / Memphis Grizzlies (2023–2024)

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On October 30, 2023, Gabriel joined the Wisconsin Herd[30] and on March 8, 2024, he signed a 10-day contract with the Memphis Grizzlies.[31] With Memphis, in five games he averaged 16.2 minutes, 3.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 0.4 blocks per game. On March 18, he returned to Wisconsin.[32]

Vaqueros de Bayamón (2024)

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On March 11, 2024, Gabriel signed with Vaqueros de Bayamón.[33] In 23 games he averaged 13.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks (7th in the league) per game, with a .576 field goal percentage.[34]

Maccabi Tel Aviv (2024)

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On July 10, 2024, Gabriel signed a two-year deal with Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League and the Euroleague.[35] During September he suffered an injury that left him out for 3–4 weeks.[36]

Panathinaikos (2024–present)

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On December 23, 2024, Gabriel signed with Panathinaikos of the Greek Basketball League (GBL) and the EuroLeague.[37]

National team career

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Gabriel joined the South Sudan national team in August 2023, as he was selected in the roster for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, where South Sudan made their international debut.[38] Gabriel and the South Sudanese team made history for the nation by placing first out of all African nations at the tournament. The team was granted automatic qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympics men's basketball tournament,[39] a first for the team and Gabriel.

Career statistics

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Legend
  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

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Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2019–20 Sacramento 11 0 5.6 .353 .125 .600 .9 .3 .3 .2 1.7
Portland 19 1 9.1 .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 Brooklyn 1 0 1.3 — — — 1.0 .0 .0 .0 .0
L.A. Clippers 6 0 7.7 .385 .400 .500 2.3 .3 .2 .3 2.3
L.A. Lakers 19 5 16.4 .505 .261 .605 4.3 .6 .2 .5 6.7
2022–23 L.A. Lakers 68 2 15.1 .596 .278 .619 4.2 .5 .4 .5 5.5
2023–24 Memphis 5 0 16.2 .364 .167 .000 5.0 .6 .4 .4 3.4
Career 150 8 12.9 .524 .311 .606 3.4 .5 .4 .4 4.4

Play-in

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2020 Portland 1 0 9.1 .333 1.000 – 1.0 1.0 .0 .0 3.0
2023 L.A. Lakers 1 0 1.8 – – – .0 .0 .0 .0 .0
Career 2 0 5.5 .333 1.000 – .5 .5 .0 .0 1.5

Playoffs

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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
2023 L.A. Lakers 10 0 3.7 .400 — .667 .9 .0 .2 .3 1.0
Career 14 2 6.5 .520 .400 .600 1.4 .3 .3 .4 2.2

Personal life

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Gabriel was born in Khartoum, Sudan, on March 26, 1997.[40] 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.[40] 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.[40] 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.[40][41] 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.[40]

Gabriel became a US citizen in 2017 when his parents became citizens.[42] He received his paperwork and passport in 2015,[42][43] and represented the USA Basketball Junior National Select Team at the 2016 Nike Hoop Summit. In 2016, he said he still considers South Sudan his home.[42]

References

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  1. ^ "Wenyen Gabriel's High School Basketball Stats". MaxPreps.com. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  2. ^ "Ex-Trinity hoop star Wenyen Gabriel commits to Kentucky". UnionLeader.com. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  3. ^ "Kentucky basketball: Wenyen Gabriel commits to Wildcats, coach John Calipari". UPI. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  4. ^ "USA Wins Nike Hoop Summit 101-67". www.usab.com. Archived from the original on April 11, 2016. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  5. ^ "Live Basketball (M)! Clarion vs. Kentucky". University of Kentucky - Official Athletics Site. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
  6. ^ "Basketball (M) Stats - UK Wildcats". University of Kentucky - Official Athletics Site. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
  7. ^ "Wenyen Gabriel - 2017-18 Men's Basketball Roster - University of Kentucky". ukathletics.com. August 10, 2017. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  8. ^ "Forty-three international early entry candidates withdraw from NBA Draft 2018". NBA.com. June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  9. ^ Fisher, Chris (June 22, 2018). "NBA Draft 2018: Kentucky's Wenyen Gabriel goes undrafted". CatsPause. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  10. ^ Pilgrim, Jack. "Official: Wenyen Gabriel joins Sacramento Kings for Summer League". KentuckySportsRadio.com. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  11. ^ "Kings Sign Wenyen Gabriel to a Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. August 2, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  12. ^ "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.
  13. ^ "Kings' Wenyen Gabriel: Collects double-double Thursday". CBS Sports. December 20, 2019. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  14. ^ "Kings' Wenyen Gabriel: Returns from G League". CBS Sports. January 12, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
  15. ^ "Trail Blazers Acquire Trevor Ariza, Wenyen Gabriel, and Caleb Swanigan from Sacramento". NBA.com. January 20, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
  16. ^ Aubin, John (February 1, 2020). "Wenyen Gabriel starts game for Blazers on Friday". Fantasy Pros. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  17. ^ "Pelicans sign Wenyen Gabriel and Willy Hernangómez". NBA.com. November 30, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  18. ^ Inabinett, Mark (October 13, 2021). "Pelicans adding third Alabama alumnus to training-camp roster". Al.com. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  19. ^ "Wisconsin Herd Announces 2021 Training Camp Roster". OurSports Central.com. October 26, 2021. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  20. ^ a b "BROOKLYN NETS SIGN WENYEN GABRIEL TO 10-DAY CONTRACT". NBA.com. December 21, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  21. ^ "Clippers' Wenyen Gabriel: To sign with Clippers". CBS Sports. December 31, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  22. ^ "Clippers' Wenyen Gabriel: Re-ups with Clippers". CBS Sports. January 11, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  23. ^ "NBA G League Transactions".
  24. ^ "Pelicans sign Wenyen Gabriel to 10-day contract". NBA. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  25. ^ "2021-22 NBA G League Transactions". gleague.nba.com. February 8, 2022. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  26. ^ "Lakers Sign D.J. Augustin and Wenyen Gabriel". NBA.com. March 1, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  27. ^ "Lakers Sign Wenyen Gabriel To Standard NBA Contract". NBA.com. April 8, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  28. ^ "Boston Celtics Sign Gabriel". NBA.com. October 3, 2023. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
  29. ^ Adams, Luke (October 20, 2023). "Celtics Waive Wenyen Gabriel, DJ Steward". HoopsRumors.com. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  30. ^ "WISCONSIN HERD ANNOUNCE 2023 TRAINING CAMP ROSTER". NBA.com. October 30, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  31. ^ "Grizzlies sign Wenyen Gabriel to 10-day contract". NBA.com. March 8, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  32. ^ "2023-2024 Wisconsin Herd Transaction History". RealGM.com. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  33. ^ "Los Vaqueros anuncian la firma del sudanés Wenyen Gabriel como su primer refuerzo". PrimeraHora.com (in Spanish). March 11, 2024. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  34. ^ "Wenyen Gabriel," basketball.realgm.com.
  35. ^ "מכבי החתימה את ווניין גבריאל". July 10, 2024. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  36. ^ "Πλήγμα με Γκέιμπριελ στην Μακάμπι, τέθηκε εκτός για 3-4 εβδομάδες". www.sport24.gr (in Greek). Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  37. ^ "Wenyen Gabriel is set for midseason move to Panathinaikos". Eurohoops. December 23, 2024. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
  38. ^ "Lakers forward Wenyen Gabriel fortifies South Sudan World Cup squad". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  39. ^ Deng Machol (September 9, 2023). "'The world knows us.' South Sudanese cheer their basketball team's rise and Olympic qualification". The Hamilton Spectator. Associated Press. ISSN 1189-9417. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  40. ^ 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.
  41. ^ Braziller, Zach (August 22, 2015). "Wenyen Gabriel: From Africa war to doorstep of NCAA hoops elites". New York Post. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  42. ^ a b c "USA Selection Caps Rise For Wenyen Gabriel". USA Basketball. February 8, 2016. Archived from the original on February 12, 2016. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  43. ^ "PREP SCHOOL BASKEBALL: Wilbraham & Monson standout Wenyen Gabriel selected to the USA Basketball Juniors National Team". www.bostonherald.com. Archived from the original on March 18, 2018. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
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