There was social media excitement all through the Ugandan basketball community when ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted the confirmation that Ishmail Wainright had agreed to a two year deal with Toronto Raptors. A swingman, Wainwright played for SIG Strasbourg in France’s LNB Pro A last season, averaging 11.8 points on .486 shooting, 4.6 boards and 2.5 assists a night in 35 games.
Wainwright, a two-sport athlete spent four season playing for the Bears, The Baylor’s basketball team and in his senior year in 2017, he played tight end for the football team and appeared in nine games, recording a pair of touchdowns. Undrafted, he signed as a free agent with the Buffalo Bills in 2018.
“No one is more deserving of an NBA deal. Grinded his way through Europe, has fully embraced playing for the Uganda National Team. All-World human being who will play in the NBA for years to come” – Tweeted ESPN’s Mike Schmitz.
The news of the Mailman’s deal is good motivation for the Silverbacks having an NBA player within their ranks as they head into Afrobasket 2021 which starts in shortly over two weeks in Kigali, Rwanda. Wainright is a pillar on the Silverbacks since his commitment to the team in 2020. His inspirational performances and leadership during the Afrobasket qualifiers including a monster 36 points and 13 rebounds notable performance against Cape Verde is the reason Uganda will be vying for a top spot in Kigali.
Basketball256 Editorial.
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