Meet the lowest-paid NBA player with Ugandan roots

• The NBA has some of the richest athletes in the world, thanks to the big bucks they make at the end of every year. 
• The dubious honour of the lowest-paid NBA player is currently held by the Phoenix Suns power forward Ishmael Wainright. 
• Ishmael Wainright is an American-Ugandan who was born on September 12, 1994, in Kansas City, Missouri, US.

Considering the salaries of most NBA players, one wouldn’t be wrong to assume that even the lowest-paid player is well-off.

The NBA has some of the richest athletes in the world, thanks to the big bucks they make at the end of every year. However, not every player has massive pay on their contracts.

The NBA, just like any other professional sport, has a minimum salary that a player can earn.

According to ESPN, minimum salaries in the NBA are calculated depending on the player’s experience.

The salaries of players who have been in the league for more than five years start from $2,133,000. On the other hand, players who have been in the league less than five years have salaries ranging from $1,017,781 to $1,968,175.

This means that most veterans in the league earn more compared to rookies. NBA players who receive minimum salaries are rookies and undrafted.

However, it should be noted that the minimum salary rule only applies to players on one-year contracts. The highest-paid NBA player at the moment is Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry. 

Who Is The Lowest-Paid NBA Player? 

Ishmael Wainright currently holds the dubious honour of the lowest-paid NBA player. The 28-year-old power forward earns a grand total of $633,891, as per ESPN.

Ishmael Wainright is the lowest-paid NBA player at the moment. Photo/ NBA.com.

He is on a two-year contract, which he signed with the Phoenix Suns on August 2022.

Ishmael Wainright is an American-Ugandan who was born on September 12, 1994, in Kansas City, Missouri, US.

Ishmael represents Uganda in international matches. In his debut, which was against Cape Verde, the power forward scored 36 points and collected 13 rebounds. Uganda went on to win the match.

Ishmael was on the rooster during AfroBasket 2021.

He is the grandson of former NBA player Maurice King. Maurice played for the Boston Celtics, Baltimore Bullets, Kansas City Steers and Chicago Zephyrs. He won the NBA Championship with the Celtics in 1960.

Ishmael played basketball at Montrose Christian School in Rockville, Maryland. In his senior year, he helped the team to a record 19-5.

Ishmael earned the 2013 All-MET honours after averaging 8.8 points, 9.1 rebounds and 8.2 assists while playing for the Mustangs.

He went to Baylor University and played college basketball for the Baylor Bears for four seasons. As a junior, Ishmael averaged 5.9 points, 2.6 assists and 4.3 rebounds in every match.

In his senior year, the American-Ugandan averaged 5.5 points, 3.2 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals.

Due to the impressive performance, Wainright was named to the Big 12 All-Defensive Team.

After playing college basketball, Wainright played football and boasts four catches for 34 yards and two touchdowns.

He joined the NBA after his college and was an undrafted free agent for the Buffalo Bills. However, he didn’t make the final roster.

On September 3, 2018, Ishmael Wainright joined Nurnberg Falcons BC. While playing for the Falcons BC, Ishmael averaged 12.1 points, 2.8 assists and 7.5 rebounds.

Nurnberg Falcons BC is a German team currently playing in the German professional second division.

After his spell with Falcons BC, Ishmael joined SC Rasta Vechta, where he averaged 10.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.8 steals per game.

Vechta is also a German basketball team which plays in the second tier of professional Basketball in Germany.

Ishmael Wainright signed a two-year deal with the Toronto Raptors on August 7, 2021. However, the Raptors waived him barely three months later.

The Phoenix Suns offered him a two-year contract five days after leaving the Raptors. He played his first NBA game on November 19 against the Dallas Mavericks.

Ishmael, the lowest-paid NBA player, recorded his first points, assists and rebounds in the NBA two days later as the Phoenix Suns defeated the Denver Nuggets.

Ishmael Wainright. Photo/ Sportando.

He scored a career-high 10 points in his side’s victory over the San Antonio Spurs on January 30, 2022. The Phoenix Suns made Ishmael’s deal a standard contract in April this year.

On November 16, Ishmael hit a three-pointer as the Phoenix Suns defeated the Golden State Warriors 130-119.