Wenyen Gabriel’s journey to the Trail Blazers is accompanied by the sacrifices his family made along the way. Earlier this week, The Oregonian’s Jamie Goldberg spoke with Gabriel and his family about the former Kentucky standout’s path to the NBA.
Gabriel, who was born to a family fleeing conflict in what is now South Sudan, arrived in the United States as a refugee. Growing up in New Hampshire, Gabriel’s oldest brother served as a caretaker in a household that relied on two working parents. Komot Gabriel, the oldest of six children, cared for his siblings and undertook a job of his own when he reached his teenage years.