Lindy Waters III was sitting poolside on a family vacation in Mexico when he realized his life was about to change on the morning of the second day of the 2024 NBA Draft. The 26-year-old Norman, Oklahoma native has only ever known one state: Oklahoma.
That changed a week ago, on June 27, when Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy sent the Warriors’ second-round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder for a shooting guard capable of operating behind the 3-point line.
“It wasn’t a surprise, but it took me a little while to sink in,” Waters told reporters at Chase Center on Wednesday. “I’ve never been through anything like this before. I’m glad I had my family there with me.”
Waters grew up alongside Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young, both of whom were star players at Norman North High School, and while Young was a high draft pick during his lone season at Oklahoma, Waters played four years at rival Oklahoma State University.
Waters’ journey from undrafted to where he is today began with the Enid Outlaws of the Oklahoma State Basketball League. Six months later, Waters impressed the team during a tryout and signed with the OKC Blues, the G League affiliate of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
In February 2022, Waters signed a two-way contract with his hometown team, where he spent the past three seasons in the G League and NBA.
“Coming from where I come from, to be able to go to just about every city in the state of Oklahoma and make it to the major leagues is pretty incredible,” Waters said. “Just that gives me confidence that I can take my talents and be successful no matter where I am.”
All of the trials and tribulations he’s experienced at Oklahoma have led Waters to this point, but what’s really guided him is the Waters tradition he’s so proud of and will represent in the Bay Area.
Waters is an enrolled member of the Kiowa Tribe, headquartered in Carnegie, Oklahoma, and is also part of the Cherokee Nation. Oklahoma has the largest Cherokee population in the United States, bordering Arkansas, Kansas and Missouri, followed by California.
As one of the few Native American players to play in the NBA, Waters’ tribal pride extends beyond any one state.
“This means everything to me,” Waters said. “Where I come from, there aren’t that many people that can do this, and I know I have a big impact in my community, especially being from Oklahoma, there are a lot of people that look like me, so I try to be an inspiration to them, I try to do the right thing and show them that this kind of thing is possible.”
In 2022, the same year that Waters makes his NBA debut, he founded the Lindy Waters III Foundation, which aims to empower Native American youth and indigenous communities through sports, leadership programs and wellness. Waters hosts a scholarship golf tournament in Tulsa and also runs basketball camps for kids in North Dakota, North Carolina and Oklahoma.
Waters is also planning a basketball tournament on his birthday, July 28, to award scholarships to kids who want to go to college; last year, he awarded 10 to 11 scholarships. In 2018, the Inter-Tribal Council named Waters “Indian of the Year.” He was also selected as a finalist for the NBA’s 2023-24 Social Justice Champion Award, and in March, he was inducted into the North American Native Sports Hall of Fame.
“There’s more to life than what you see on TV,” Waters said. “You have family, traditions, culture. Material things pass and you can never control those things. But what you can control is how good a person you are.”
“Spending time with my family, extended family and peers and trying to give back to my community has shaped who I am today, and I believe that is reflected on the basketball court.”
Waters is ready to thrill the Chase Center crowd with some deep three-pointers, but the real work starts off the court. Waters knows his job on the court isn’t done yet and he’s working hard to continue making the fans proud.
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