The athletic big man is expected to compete in the Olympics this summer with South Sudan
Maccabi unveils signing of Wenyen Gabriel
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Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv announced on Wednesday that it has signed big man Wenyen Gabriel. The deal is for one season with an option for a second year.
Gabriel (2.06 meters, 27 years old) has spent most of the past five seasons in the NBA, where he played for the Sacramento Kings, Portland Trail Blazers, New Orleans Pelicans, Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies.
His best season was in 2022-23, when he averaged 5.5 points on 59.6% shooting and 4.2 rebounds in 68 games for the Lakers.
Gabriel most recently joined Vaqueros de Bayamon in Puerto Rico, where he has posted 13.0 points on 61.1% shooting and is among the league’s top 10 rebounders with 7.4 per game. Before that he averaged 16.7 points, while making 45.1% of his three-pointers, and tallied 10.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 26 G-League games with the Wisconsin Herd.
Born in Sudan, Gabriel emigrated to the United States as a child. He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats, where for one season he was a teammate of former Maccabi player Alex Poythress.
As a member of the South Sudan national team, Gabriel was the leading shot-blocker at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup with 2.6 per game. He also posted 9.2 points and 6.8 rebounds as his team went 3-2 and placed 17th of 32 countries. Gabriel is a finalist for the South Sudan roster for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
"Gabriel is a player with NBA experience, with diverse abilities and big upside," explained coach Oded Kattash. "A player at the ‘5’ position who can also play away from the paint, knows how to finish near the rim and has a defensive presence. He will help us and give us a lot of energy. I am sure that the connection to the crowd will be quick and that the fans will enjoy watching him a lot."