As the savvy guard worked the court so efficiently for the Nigerian Olympic team in its stunning exhibition upset of Team USA, it was apparent that the player in the No. 22 jersey with “Nnamdi” on the back was a unique talent, with his defensive pressure and 3-point shooting.
He also has been a familiar face for the Miami Heat the past two seasons, because Gabe Nnamdi is Gabe Vincent.
After his national team’s weekend breakthrough, the personable 25-year-old whose father is from Nigeria explained his jersey as a particular source of pride.
“I use that name when I’m representing Nigeria,” he said. “When I went back home, and I introduced myself as Gabe, they said, ‘What is your name?’ I said, ‘It’s Vincent, Gabe Vincent.’ And they looked at me crazy and said, ‘No, what is your name?’ And I said, ‘Nnamdi.’ And they said, ‘OK, nice to meet you.’
“So, I took that as that’s very much part of my culture, and when I do put on that uniform and have ‘Nigeria’ across my chest, I put that name on the back. Because that’s how my people back home recognize me.”
Recognition has been limited since Vincent went undrafted out of Cal-Santa Barbara in 2018, with two seasons in the G League before being picked up by the Heat on a two-way contract.
Then came Saturday night in Las Vegas, when Vincent scored a game-high 21 points in the exhibition against Team USA, scoring more in his 18:37 than Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard and Bradley Beal scored in considerably longer minutes.
“It was everything we expected,” Vincent said of the outcome that turned an exhibition into something epic for Nigeria’s national team. “We knew we could compete. We knew we could play well against a great team, and we showed that.”
After making strides as a defensive presence for the Heat last season after previously building his resume as a 3-point specialist, it will be an interesting offseason for more than the impending trip to the Tokyo Olympics.
While the Heat merely have to make a nominal qualifying offer by Aug. 1 to retain Vincent’s rights as a two-way player, they also likely will have to decide whether to match offers of a standard contract from other teams, which would require a $1.5 million salary-cap hold.
Ultimately, the Heat’s level of investment could come down to what happens with Kendrick Nunn in free agency. If the bidding for Nunn proves too stiff, it is possible that Vincent could come to be viewed for the role held by Nunn the past two seasons.
For now, it is about living in the moment, moments such as Saturday’s victory over Gregg Popovich’s Team USA.
“There’s a lot of doubts put on us, a lot of expectations for us to get blown out, for the game to get out of hand early,” Vincent said. “And, if anything, that just put a chip on our shoulder, bigger than we already had.
“So it meant a lot, mostly because I know how much it meant to the guys who have played and worn the same uniform I’m wearing, before me.”
At one point, the hope by the Nigerian basketball federation was that Spencer Dinwiddie would step into the role held with the national team by Vincent. Dinwiddie’s ACL tear scuttled those plans, with other NBA players also considered with import exceptions.
Instead, after representing Nigeria in the 2019 World Cup, Vincent is back for more.
And back playing under a name that further instills his ancestral pride.
“It’s different. It’s almost like an alter ago of sorts,” Gabe Vincent said of Gabe Nnamdi. “It’s like I’m a different person at times. But it’s fun. Just to represent a nation, represent my people and to do it with my name. It’s another step of it, it’s very important for me.”
