Ish Wainright Explained

Ish Wainright
Position:Power forward / small forward
Height Ft:6
Height In:5
Weight Lb:250
League:Israeli Premier League
EuroCup
Team:Hapoel Tel Aviv
Number:12
Birth Date:12 September 1994
Birth Place:Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Nationality:American / Ugandan
High School:
College:Baylor (2013–2017)
Draft Year:2017
Career Start:2018
Years1:2018–2019
Team1:Nürnberg Falcons
Years2:2019–2020
Team2:Rasta Vechta
Years3:2020–2021
Team3:SIG Strasbourg
Years4:
Team4:Phoenix Suns
Team5:Portland Trail Blazers
Years6:2023
Team6:Rip City Remix
Team7:Phoenix Suns
Years8:2024–present
Team8:Hapoel Tel Aviv
Highlights:
  • Big 12 All-Defensive Team (2017)

Ishmail Carzell Wainright (born September 12, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli Premier League and the EuroCup. He also represents the senior Ugandan national team. He played college basketball for the Baylor Bears, as well as played football as a tight end. Wainright is the grandson of former NBA player Maurice King.

High school career

Wainright played two seasons for head coach Stu Vetter at Montrose Christian School in Rockville, Maryland, helping the team to 19–5 record as senior in 2012–13. He earned 2013 All-MET honors after averaging 8.8 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 8.2 assists for Mustangs. He began his prep career at Raytown South High School in suburban Kansas City, where he averaged 13.6 points and 9.8 rebounds as a sophomore in 2010–11. A consensus top-75 recruit, he was ranked No. 28 in 2013 class by ESPN.com,[1] No. 51 by Scout.com, No. 52 by Rivals.com, and No. 62 by 247Sports.com.

College career

Wainright played four seasons of basketball for the Baylor Bears. He averaged 5.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game as a junior.[2] As a senior, Wainright averaged 5.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game. He was named to the Big 12 All-Defensive Team. He played one season of football after his basketball career, playing tight end. Wainright had four catches for 34 yards and two touchdowns.[3]

After finishing his career at Baylor, Wainright joined the Buffalo Bills of the NFL as an undrafted free agent, but he did not make the final roster.[4] [5]

Professional career

Nürnberg Falcons (2018–2019)

Wainright returned to basketball and signed with Nürnberg Falcons BC on September 3, 2018.[6] He averaged 12.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.7 steals per game.

Rasta Vechta (2019–2020)

On July 2, 2019, Wainright signed with Rasta Vechta.[7] Wainright averaged 10.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.4 assist and 1.8 steals per game.

SIG Strasbourg (2020–2021)

On June 17, 2020, he signed with SIG Strasbourg.[8] He averaged 11.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.6 steals per game.[9]

Phoenix Suns (2021–2023)

On August 7, 2021, Wainright signed a two-year, non-guaranteed deal with the Toronto Raptors,[10] but was waived by the Raptors on October 17.[11] Five days later, he signed a two-way contract with the Phoenix Suns.[12] Wainright later made his NBA debut on November 19 near the end of a win against the Dallas Mavericks, with him recording his first official points, rebounds, and assist two days later in a blowout win over the Denver Nuggets. On January 30, 2022, Wainright scored a then-season-high 10 points and put up two blocks in 20 minutes of action (including the entirety of the fourth quarter) in a 115–110 win over the San Antonio Spurs.[13] On April 6, he surpassed his season bests with career highs of 20 points and 8 rebounds in a close loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.[14] On April 10, the Suns converted his deal into a standard contract.[15]

Wainright joined the Suns' 2022 NBA Summer League roster.[16] On August 4, 2022, Wainright signed a two-way contract with the Suns.[17] After dealing with lower back pain and then the death of his father, pastor Calvin Wainright, Ishmail Wainright returned to action with the Suns on November 16, hitting a three-pointer in a 130–119 win over the defending champion Golden State Warriors.

On February 24, 2023, Wainwright signed a two-year, $2.5 million deal with the Suns, including a team option for the 2023–24 season. Wainwright previously operated under a two-way contract and was nearing the 50-game limit.[18] On March 5 against the Dallas Mavericks, coach Monty Williams made a decision late in the third quarter to substitute starter Josh Okogie, who had missed all of his eight three-point attempts, with Wainright. Although he had not played in the game up until that point, Wainwright made a significant impact, hitting four of his five three-point attempts, helping the Suns secure a 130–126 victory.[19]

On October 19, 2023, Wainwright was waived shortly before the 2023–24 season.[20]

Portland Trail Blazers (2023–2024)

On October 21, 2023, Wainwright was claimed off waivers by the Portland Trail Blazers.[21] Wainright made his debut with the Trail Blazers on November 14 in a loss to the Utah Jazz during the 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament. On January 6, 2024, after playing seven games with the team, he was waived by Portland.[22]

Return to Phoenix (2024)

On March 4, 2024, Wainwright returned to the Phoenix Suns on a two-way contract.[23] In his third season with the Suns, he only played four total games with the team due to him being a late return for the franchise.

Hapoel Tel Aviv (2024–present)

On July 10, 2024, Wainright signed with the Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League.[24]

National team career

Wainright plays for the Uganda men's national basketball team. As an American born in Kansas City, Missouri, he was convinced by Uganda coaches George Galanopoulous and Mike Schmitz to become a naturalized Ugandan to help build the team and increase employment opportunities.[25] Wainright scored 36 points and collected 13 rebounds in his national team debut in a win over in November 2020.[26] He was on the roster during AfroBasket 2021.[27]

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

|-| style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Phoenix| 45 || 0 || 8.0 || .394 || .322 || .583 || 1.2 || .3 || .4 || .1 || 2.4|-| style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Phoenix| 60 || 2 || 15.3 || .370 || .329 || .839 || 2.3 || .9 || .6 || .4 || 4.2|-| rowspan=2 style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Portland| 7 || 0 || 6.6 || .333 || .375 || 1.000 || 1.3 || .0 || .3 || .1 || 2.9|-| style="text-align:left;"| Phoenix| 4 || 0 || 4.1 || .167 || .250 || || 1.3 || .3 || .5 || .0 || .8|- class="sortbottom"| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career| 116 || 2 || 11.5 || .372 || .329 || .778 || 1.8 || .6 || .5 || .3 || 3.3

Playoffs

|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2022| style="text-align:left;"| Phoenix| 7 || 0 || 3.8 || .417 || .500 || — || 1.6 || .1 || .1 || .1 || 1.9|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2023| style="text-align:left;"| Phoenix| 6 || 0 || 3.5 || .250 || .250 || — || .2 || .0 || .0 || .2 || .5|- class="sortbottom"| colspan=2 style="text-align:center"|Career| 13 || 0 || 3.6 || .375 || .400 || — || .9 || .1 || .1 || .2 || 1.2

Personal life

Wainright's father, Calvin Wainright, was born under his mother Marvine Wainright and raised by Marvine and her husband Alvin Joe, while his biological father was former NBA player Maurice King, making him a half-sibling to King's other siblings. During Calvin's adult life, up until his death on October 31, 2022, he was a pastor and youth basketball coach in Kansas City, Missouri.[28] [29] [30] In 2020, he received the Kansas City People's Choice Awards Humanitarian Award for his work in the city.[29] [31] Ish learned who his grandfather from his mother's side of the family was while he was playing for Baylor, which he honored in a match against Kansas University by going under the name of Ishmail King-Wainright throughout the game.[32]

Wainright also has a younger brother named Amaad that also previously played college basketball. Amaad played basketball collegiately at Trinity Valley Community College in the NJCAA, Kansas State University in the NCAA, and Louisiana State University Shreveport in the NAIA. During his only season in Kansas State, Amaad and the Wildcats made it to the 2018 NCAA tournament, going as far as the Elite 8 in their tournament run that season.[33]

Wainright is also the cousin of current Grand Canyon basketball player Tyon Grant-Foster, who went to Grand Canyon University after a recommendation from Wainright and a relationship from Baylor with Grand Canyon's coach, Bryce Drew.[34] Grant-Foster previously played for Indian Hills Community College in the NJCAA, the University of Kansas, and DePaul University before a health scare in a season opener during his only game with DePaul against Coppin State University had him risk not playing basketball altogether at one point. During his only season at Grand Canyon, Grant-Foster would win the WAC Player of the Year award and reach the All-WAC First Team in 2024,[35] as well as lead the university to their first ever victory in the NCAA tournament by defeating St. Mary's College.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: ESPN Recruiting BB . ESPN.com . August 5, 2021.
  2. News: Another talented Baylor team after another early NCAA exit . August 5, 2021 . . . October 26, 2016.
  3. Web site: Irving . Kyle . August 13, 2021 . Who is Ishmail Wainright? Fast facts on Toronto Raptors' latest reported signing . October 23, 2023 . sportingnews.com.
  4. Web site: Zucker . Joseph . April 30, 2018 . Former Baylor Basketball Player Ishmail Wainright Signs Bills Contract . December 4, 2021 . BleacherReport.com.
  5. Web site: August 5, 2021 . Report: Raptors sign Wainwright to two-year deal - TSN.ca . December 4, 2021 . TSN.ca.
  6. Web site: Ishmail Wainright verstärkt Kader der Nürnberg Falcons. n-bc.de. September 3, 2018. August 5, 2021. German. August 6, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210806002648/https://n-bc.de/2018/09/03/ishmail-wainright-komplettiert-kader-der-nuernberg-falcons/. dead.
  7. News: Emiliano. Carchia. Rasta Vechta signs Steve Vasturia and Ishmail Wainright. Sportando. July 2, 2019. August 5, 2021.
  8. News: Dario. Skerletic. Ishmail Wainright joins SIG Strasbourg. Sportando. June 17, 2020. August 5, 2021.
  9. https://basketball.realgm.com/player/Ish-Wainright/Summary/81536 "Ish Wainwright,"
  10. Steven. Loung. The Raptors have made the signings of Justin Champagnie and Ishmail Wainright official. https://t.co/heQpomYNQn. 1424188706165071875. loung_s. August 8, 2021. February 10, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20220411001948/https://twitter.com/loung_s/status/1424188706165071875. April 11, 2022. live.
  11. Toronto Raptors. Toronto Raptors. Official: We've waived forward Ish Wainright https://t.co/hWw8G9zqTk. 1449740428345966595. Raptors. October 17, 2021. February 10, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20220513143548/https://twitter.com/Raptors/status/1449740428345966595. May 13, 2022. live.
  12. Web site: Sam. Harvey. SUNS SIGN ISH WAINRIGHT. NBA.com. October 22, 2021. October 22, 2021.
  13. Web site: Ariebi. Solomon. NBA: Ishmail Wainwright's career-high 10 points helps Phoenix Suns rally past San Antonio Spurs.. UgSports.net. January 31, 2022. February 24, 2022. February 24, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220224144016/https://ugsports.net/nba-ishmail-wainwrights-career-high-10-points-helps-phoenix-suns-rally-past-san-antonio-spurs/. dead.
  14. Web site: Suns vs Clippers, April 6, 2022. Basketball-Reference.com. April 6, 2022.
  15. Phoenix Suns. Phoenix Suns. Official: Suns have converted the two-way contract of Ish Wainright into a standard NBA contract. https://t.co/BJUnWbGvkQ. 1513235423111237633. Suns. April 10, 2022. February 10, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20220830100402/https://twitter.com/Suns/status/1513235423111237633. August 30, 2022. live.
  16. Web site: Phoenix Suns 2022 NBA2K23 Summer League Roster NBA.com. NBA.com. July 11, 2022.
  17. Phoenix Suns. Phoenix Suns. Pen to paper ✍️ https://t.co/wRNr5uVSef. 1555310310864482304. Suns. August 4, 2022. February 10, 2023.
  18. Web site: Suns' Ish Wainright: Inks new deal with Phoenix. CBSSports.com. February 25, 2023. February 25, 2023.
  19. Web site: Haller . Doug . Cato . Tim . March 5, 2023 . Kevin Durant hits game winner, drops 37 points as Suns edge Mavericks on road . March 5, 2023 . TheAthletic.com.
  20. Web site: Suns waive Ish Wainright as roster cap deadline looms. ArizonaSports.com. October 19, 2023. October 19, 2023.
  21. Web site: Trail Blazers Claim Ish Wainright Off Waivers. NBA.com. October 21, 2023. October 22, 2023.
  22. Web site: Trail Blazers Waive Skylar Mays and Ish Wainright. NBA.com. January 6, 2024. January 7, 2024.
  23. Web site: SUNS SIGN FORWARD ISH WAINRIGHT. NBA.com. March 4, 2024. March 5, 2024.
  24. Web site: ברוך הבא, איש ווינרייט!. HapoelUTA.org. July 10, 2024. July 17, 2024. Hebrew.
  25. Web site: Murphy . Blake . Raptors' Ishmail Wainright is a walking culture-builder: 'Everyone wants to cheer for a guy like that' . The Athletic . August 5, 2022 . August 30, 2021.
  26. News: Ndyamuhaki . Emanzi . August 7, 2021 . What next for Wainright with the Silverbacks? . en . Daily Monitor . August 28, 2021.
  27. Web site: . roster --> . FIBA.basketball . en.
  28. Wainright . Ish . Wainright24 . 1591919267318235136 . November 13, 2022 . Everyone's thoughtful words of condolence have acted as a source of strength for me during this difficult time, and I am grateful for you all. I am going to miss my Popz, my OG, my Superman, my Twin, and now my Guardian Angel. I love you and I miss you CCW ️ https://t.co/ZGKuJsK6zm . February 10, 2023.
  29. Web site: Medina . David . Kaut . Steve . October 31, 2022 . Beloved Kansas City basketball coach Calvin Wainright dies . October 23, 2023 . kshb.com.
  30. Web site: Obituary for Pastor Calvin C. Wainright | Lawrence A. Jones & Sons Funeral Chapels .
  31. The Mayor of Kansas City, Mo . RayThaJerk . 1291444752198643715 . August 6, 2020 . From Calvin Wainright- The 2nd Annual Kansas City People's Choice Awards Humanitarian Award recipient. Well deserved coach thank you @KCPCAwards https://t.co/q4LEYEbY9W . February 10, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230131160105/https://twitter.com/RayThaJerk/status/1291444752198643715 . January 31, 2023 . live.
  32. https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2017-02-01/baylor-basketball-ishmail-wainright-honors-late-grandfather
  33. Web site: Murphy . Blake . Raptors' Ishmail Wainright is a walking culture-builder: 'Everyone wants to cheer for a guy like that' . The Athletic . August 5, 2022 . August 30, 2021.
  34. Web site: John. Marshall. Grand Canyon's Tyon Grant-Foster is thriving despite a pair of near-death experiences . apnews.com. Associated Press. December 24, 2023. March 18, 2024.
  35. Web site: Grand Canyon's Tyon Grant-Foster named WAC Player of the Year . March 12, 2024 .