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.
South Sudan, since its independence in 2011, has experienced armed conflicts before a peace agreement in 2018.
After his family fled civil war in South Sudan, Los Angeles Lakers star resettled with them in the US as a refugee. This great basketball player in the NBA, wants to participate, through his sport, in the development of his country.
What is Wenyen Gabriel salary?
He’s making 259.89 percent more than in 2021/22. He’s the 393rd best-paid NBA player this year. He was the 503rd best-paid NBA player last year.
Salary: $1,878,720.
| Season | Team | Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | Los Angeles Lakers | $124,495 ($124,495*) |
Wenyen Gabriel has been playing for the Los Angeles Lakers since last season . A consecration for the strong winger. But beyond the game, it is on the social level that the native of Khartoum wants to use his “aura”. He wants to participate in the consolidation of peace in his country, South Sudan. On the sidelines of a basketball camp he organized in Juba, the capital, the 25-year-old player spoke of the impact of his sport on the South Sudanese population plagued for years by a politico-ethnic war.
For Wenyen Gabriel, the parquet offers a real opportunity for union. Because only the game counts, not trivial relationships. “I pray that we continue to have peace in South Sudan and I want to use basketball to unite us, launched ‘Angelino’ on BBC Sport Africa . When you share a basketball court, you look at the person next to you and it’s your brother. It is important that this reflects on your daily life . »
He adds, “I want to help rebuild this country, because no one is going to build the county except us, the young people and people like me who have learned different skills abroad. (…) Sport brings a lot of positive energy and we have to change our mindset from negative to a more positive one.”
“ These things will bring us together ”
For his basketball camp, Wenyen Gabriel supported all the costs: travel, facilities, kits… Determined to get involved, the 25-year-old basketball player wants support to improve or even create infrastructure worthy of the name. “ First we need to start with an outdoor pitch (in Rumbek) which we need to renovate because a lot of these facilities are really run down,” he points out. After that, in the whole country, there is not even a single indoor basketball facility. We need to start creating a recreation center and possibly, one day, create a stadium. These things will bring us together. »
Despite this volatile context and the constraints linked to inadequate infrastructure, South Sudan is carrying out a remarkable World Cup qualification campaign. The country, with six victories in six games, is currently in first place in Group B ahead of Tunisia, the reigning double African champions. And with the reinforcement of Wenyen Gabriel, the South Sudanese can see a qualification for the 2023 World Cup.