Lindy Waters III (born July 28, 1997) is a

Kiowa Kiowa () people are a Native American tribe and an indigenous people of the Great Plains of the United States. They migrated southward from western Montana into the Rocky Mountains in Colorado in the 17th and 18th centuries,Pritzker 326 and eve ...

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player for the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

(NBA). He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the

Oklahoma State Cowboys The Oklahoma State Cowboys and Cowgirls are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Oklahoma State University–Stillwater, Oklahoma State University, located in Stillwater, Oklahoma, Stillwater. ...

. He was named a finalist for the NBA 2023–24 Social Justice Champion Award for the work his foundation does to support Native American youth through

sports Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, th ...

, health and wellness.

High school career

Waters attended

Norman North High School Norman North High School is a public, co-educational secondary school in Norman, Oklahoma. It was established on August 21, 1997, on the grounds of what had been Longfellow Middle School since 1972. Longfellow Has now been relocated to the build ...

. During his senior year, he posed for a picture with an Airsoft gun after losing a bet with friends. Waters was expelled after the incident and transferred to Sunrise Christian Academy. After several months, he was allowed to return to Norman North and re-joined the basketball team, helping the team reach the state title game. In November 2015, Waters committed to playing college basketball for

Oklahoma State Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New M ...

College career

During his freshman year, Waters sustained a concussion and a fractured foot that caused him to miss several games. He averaged 5.7 points per game on a team that reached the NCAA Tournament. As a sophomore, Waters averaged 8.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. In August 2018, he was named "Indian of the Year" by an Intertribal Council. Waters averaged 12.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game as a junior. As a senior, Waters averaged 10.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.

Professional career

Enid Outlaws (2021)

After going undrafted in the

2020 NBA draft The 2020 NBA draft was held on November 18, 2020. The draft was originally scheduled to be held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on June 25, but due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it was instead conducted at ESPN's facilities in Bristol, Connecti ...

, Waters signed with the Enid Outlaws of

The Basketball League The Basketball League (TBL), formerly North America Premier Basketball (NAPB), is a minor league basketball organization. The league began operating in North America in 2018 with eight teams, and expanded to over 44 teams as of 2022. The Bask ...

on March 31, 2021. In 17 games, he averaged 12.6 points, 4.9 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game. On July 6, 2021, he signed with Palmer Alma Mediterránea of the

LEB Oro LEB or Leb may refer to: * Lausanne–Echallens–Bercher railway, Switzerland * Lebanon, UNDP country code * Lebanon Municipal Airport (New Hampshire) (FAA identifier) * Lexham English Bible * Life expectancy at birth * Liga Española de Balonces ...

. However, the contract was voided on August 14 due to bureaucratic problems.

Oklahoma City Blue (2021–2022)

In October 2021, Waters joined the

Oklahoma City Blue The Oklahoma City Blue are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and are affiliated with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Blue play their home games at Paycom Center. The franchise began as t ...

of the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...

after a successful tryout. He averaged 8.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game in his first season for the Blue.

Oklahoma City Thunder (2022–2024)

On February 10, 2022, Waters was signed to a

two-way contract A two-way contract is a professional sports contract that stipulates that an athlete's salary is dependent upon the league in which the athlete is assigned to play. This is opposed to a one-way contract that would pay the same salary regardless of ...

by his hometown team the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...

. On February 27, 2023, the Thunder converted Waters' deal into a multi-year standard contract. He was assigned to the

of the

on March 2, 2023. On August 18, the Thunder re-signed Waters III to a two-way contract after declining his team option and on February 9, 2024, he signed a multi-year contract with the Thunder.

Golden State Warriors (2024–present)

On June 27, 2024, the

traded their 52nd draft pick for Waters III, however they re-acquired the pick just hours later, in exchange for cash compensation.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

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, 41 , , 0 , , 12.9 , , .393 , , .358 , , .800 , , 1.8 , , .7 , , .3 , , .3 , , 5.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 38 , , 0 , , 7.4 , , .471 , , .435 , , 1.000 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , .1 , , .2 , , 3.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 104 , , 1 , , 12.3 , , .416 , , .377 , , .815 , , 1.8 , , .7 , , .4 , , .3 , , 5.3

Play-in

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, 2 , , 0 , , 10.5 , , .286 , , .167 , , , , 1.5 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , .0 , , 2.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 2 , , 0 , , 10.5 , , .286 , , .167 , , , , 1.5 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , .0 , , 2.5

Playoffs

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, 3 , , 0 , , 2.8 , , .000 , , .000 , , , , .3 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 3 , , 0 , , 2.8 , , .000 , , .000 , , , , .3 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;",

, 23 , , 12 , , 16.0 , , .495 , , .442 , , .714 , , 1.8 , , .8 , , .6 , , .0 , , 5.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , style="text-align:left;",

, 35 , , 31 , , 27.1 , , .443 , , .373 , , .768 , , 3.7 , , 2.0 , , .9 , , .4 , , 8.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , style="text-align:left;",

, 32 , , 32 , , 33.8 , , .437 , , .448 , , .878 , , 4.2 , , 2.8 , , 1.3 , , .2 , , 12.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2019–20 , style="text-align:left;",

, 31 , , 30 , , 31.7 , , .381 , , .317 , , .825 , , 4.2 , , 2.4 , , 1.2 , , .1 , , 10.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 121 , , 105 , , 27.9 , , .427 , , .390 , , .817 , , 3.6 , , 2.1 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , 9.5

Personal life

Waters is an enrolled member of the

tribe, he is also of

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...

descent. Lindy Waters III was born July 28 1997. Waters Parents are Lindy Waters Jr. (Father) and Lisa Waters (Mother).

References

External links

Oklahoma State Cowboys bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Waters, Lindy III 1997 births Living people American men's basketball players American people of Cherokee descent Basketball players from Oklahoma Kiowa people Native American basketball players Oklahoma City Blue players Oklahoma City Thunder players Oklahoma State Cowboys basketball players Shooting guards Small forwards Sportspeople from Norman, Oklahoma Undrafted NBA players