Lindell Wigginton

Lindell Wigginton's Biography

Born on March 28, 1998, as Lindell Shamar Wigginton, this professional Canadian basketball player carved a remarkable niche in the domain of professional basketball. The last stint of his basketball career was with the Shandong Hi-Speed Kirin, a club under the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Lindell holds a history of embellishing his basketball portfolio by displaying incredible sportsmanship at the Iowa State Cyclones, where he played college basketball.

Hailing from a diverse background, Wigginton’s parents had different origins with his mother growing up in Halifax’s Uniacke Square and his father from North Preston. The budding player initiated his basketball endeavor at Prince Andrew High School located in his native town of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Under the able mentorship of Coach Ken Cooper, he showcased his talent for just a year before moving to the United States. Joining Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia, at 15, Wigginton embarked on an ambitious journey.

Acknowledged as a four-star recruit in ESPN’s ranking, Wigginton pledged his commitment to Iowa State in October 2016. In the face of strong competition from prestigious schools like Arizona State and Oregon, his alliance with the Cyclones was monumental. His dedication was evident when representing the World Select Team at the 2017 Nike Hoop Summit. He clocked 22:16 minutes, scoring eleven points, and handing out a team-high seven assists.

Remarkably, as a freshman, Wigginton was one of the best players for Iowa State. Averaging 16.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game, he dominated the court. Despite suffering from turnover issues and having lost possession 92 times throughout the year, his prowess was undeniable. Consequently, Wigginton declared eligibility for the 2018 NBA draft, although he did not hire an agent, eventually returning to school.

In his sophomore season, he bested his previous record by averaging 13.4 points, four rebounds, and 2.1 assists in just 26 minutes per game. This achievement christened him as the Big 12 Conference Sixth Man of the Year. However, a foot injury led to him only starting two of the 26 games in that season. Undeterred, he declared for the 2019 NBA draft through his agent at the end of the season.

Unfortunately, going undrafted in the 2019 NBA draft couldn’t waver his resolution, and he joined the Toronto Raptors for the 2019 NBA Summer League. On September 4, 2019, he signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Under this contract, he landed with the Timberwolves’ NBA G League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves. Here, he scored 24 points, seven assists, and six rebounds off the bench in a game against the Sioux Falls Skyforce. He averaged 15.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game during this tenure.

Following this, he signed a contract with Ironi Nes Ziona of the Israeli Premier League on May 18, 2020. His average in this league was 8.6 points while shooting .550 from the field. Then in January 2021, he reverted to the Iowa Wolves, where in 17 games, he averaged 17.1 points, 5.2 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and 34.9 minutes while shooting .549 from the field.

June 2021 saw Wigginton signing with the Hamilton Honey Badgers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League. Following this, in October 2021, he joined the Wisconsin Herd after being acquired in a trade. Signing a two-way contract with the Milwaukee Bucks on January 13, 2022, marked his re-entry to the NBA. His commendable performance of scoring 18 points and recording 8 assists during Milwaukee’s final regular season game amplified his reputation.

Maintaining his performance, he re-signed with the Bucks on July 8, 2022. The subsequent NBA Summer League saw Wigginton joining the Bucks’ roster. His Summer League debut was quite a show as he scored seventeen points and provided seven assists in a 94–90 win over the Brooklyn Nets. For his outstanding performance, he was named to the All-NBA Summer League Second Team on July 18, 2022.

Signing up with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association in February 2024 was a major leap in his career. Later, in August 2024, he signed with Shandong Hi-Speed Kirin of the CBA.

Lindell Wigginton’s international success was adorned with significant contributions, such as leading Team Canada to a silver medal at the FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship in 2016 in Valdivia, Chile. Another awe-inspiring performance was during Canada’s gold streak at the 2017 FIBA Under-19 World Cup in Cairo, Egypt, where he averaged 12.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game. Despite missing the quarter and semifinal due to concussive symptoms, Wigginton returned in time for the championship, scoring eleven points, three rebounds and three assists.