An alumnus of Oklahoma, Lindy Waters III was unpicked in the 2020 NBA Draft but later earned NBA entry with a two-way contract with Oklahoma City Thunder.
Currently, Waters III plays shooting guard for the City Thunder on his first-ever standard NBA deal. He converted his two-way contract to two-year NBA deal on February 27, 2023.
While playing for the G-league team Oklahoma City Blue in the 2022-23 season, he scored his career-high 30 points against the Vipers on January 3, 2023.
Before the NBA, he had a short tenure with the Enid Outlaws of TBL until he made a successful tryout in Oklahoma City Blue & then into the major league.
Nicknamed “Trey” by his family, Waters is of Kiowa and Cherokee descent.
Lindy, a stand-out college basketball player, has a different story to tell when going back through his high school memories.
As reported, he was expelled from the school after a controversial photo of him came up.
This article will explore Lindy Waters III’s family background, education, the reason for expulsion, relationships, net worth, and many more.
Quick Facts
Full Name | Lindy Waters III |
Nickname | Trey |
Birthdate | July 28, 1997 |
Age | 27 Years Old |
Birthplace | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States |
Father’s Name | Lindy Waters Jr |
Mother’s Name | Lisa Waters |
Siblings | Three (Leana, Loren & Lindsey) |
Nationality | American |
Zodiac Sign | Leo |
Marital Status | Unmarried |
Height | 6 feet 6 inches/ 198 cm/1.98 m |
Weight | 215 lbs/ 97 kg |
Profession | Professional Basketball Player |
Education |
|
NBA Draft | Undrafted in 2020 NBA Draft |
Playing Career | 2021- Present |
Position | Shooting Guard |
Jersey Number | 12 |
Average Annual Salary | $502k |
Net Worth | $500k-$1 Million |
Social Media | Instagram, Twitter |
Last Update | October 2024 |
Early Life & Family
Lindy Waters III was born to Lindy Waters, Jr, and Lisa Waters on July 28, 1997, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States.
Waters III is of Kiowa and Cherokee descent and has several tattoos on his left arm and chest to honor his Native American heritage.
His grandfather is a full-blooded Cherokee, whereas his grandmother is full blooded Kiowa.
Before becoming a pastor, his grandfather was a softball player and even officiated for several major league baseball games.
Lindy Waters III began playing basketball from a very young age as his father was also a basketball player at Southern Nazarene, a small college in Bethany, Oklahoma.
Waters Jr rivaled Dennis Rodman, who played for nearby South-eastern Oklahoma State. Unfortunately, his NBA dream did not come true.
His father provided basic training for over two years and then taught him to shoot three-pointers.
Waters III has three sisters: Loren, Leana, and Lindsey.
Loren is an award-winning filmmaker who currently works at Loren Kasey Jewellery. She studied at the University of Oklahoma, majoring in environmental studies.
Her other sister, Leana, has two kids, Raider Black Waters (born on September 20, 2018) and Ember Reign Waters (born on August 3, 2020), to Joshua Shane.
Education
Waters completed high school in Norman North and played basketball along with Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young.
After his junior season, Waters competed in an Adidas tournament in which Dennis Smith Jr, a five-star recruit, was the main spotlight.
The spotlight slowly shifted from Smith Jr to Waters, the unknown high school junior, who gave him trouble the whole game.
After that tournament, Waters received offers from many schools like North Carolina, Harvard, Iowa State, Houston, Stanford, Yale, etc.
Lindy Waters III decided to choose Oklahoma State Cowboys over other offers in November 2015.
Waters missed several games in his first year as he suffered from a concussion and a fractured foot.
In August 2018, he was named “Indian of the Year” by an Intertribal Council.
Throughout his time in college, he started in 104 games and concluded his career with 1152 points, earning him the 10th and 31st positions in the school’s history for games started and total points, respectively.
NBA Draft & Professional Career
Lindy Waters was undrafted in the 2020 NBA Draft on November 18, 2020, which made him an unrestricted free agent.
On March 31, 2021, Waters signed with the Enid Outlaws of The Basketball League.
He led the team to their first TBL championship the same season by averaging 12.6 points, 4.9 assists, and 5.4 rebounds per game in seventeen games.
Waters then signed a contract with a Spanish team called Palmer Alma Mediterránea on July 6, 2021. However, the contract was voided because of bureaucratic issues on August 14.
He joined the Oklahoma City Blue of the NBA G League in October 2021 and averaged 8.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.11 steals per game.
On February 10, 2022, Waters signed a 2-year two-way contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Oklahoma City Blue.
He made his NBA debut on February 11, 2022, against Philadelphia, in which he barely played a minute.
On March 30,2022, Waters recorded his NBA career high of 25 points in a loss against the Atlanta Hawks and became the first rookie to make four 3-point shots in three consecutive games in Thunder’s history.
Expulsion of Lindy Waters III From Norman North
Lindy Waters III was expelled from Norman North in his senior year because of a careless prank that was to stay among his friends but broke into public.
In October 2015, a student took a picture of scribbling in the girl’s bathroom, which threatened a mass shooting which was reported by the girl’s family to Norman North officials.
The school then announced that students could leave or be picked up by their parents.
Waters took his sister home and then went to play a video game at his friend’s house.
They had a bet over a game in which he lost and had to post a photo holding an Airsoft gun, a replica gun, without his face and upload the picture on Snapchat.
He sent the picture to only five friends, but one of the friends took the screenshot and uploaded it on Twitter, and someone alerted Norman North authorities.
Waters admitted to posing for the photo as a joke to the North principal, Peter Liesenfeld.
At first, Liesenfeld stated to the Waters family that their son had been suspended for 10 days and a pending investigation.
But, on October 13, 2015, the verdict arrived that he was suspended for the full academic year.
He then transferred to Sunrise Christian Academy, but after several months he was granted permission to return to the Norman North.
He rejoined the basketball team and led the team to reach the state title game.
Relationship & More on Personal Life!
Many fans are eager to know about his relationship status and dating history of Waters, but it seems like he is currently not dating anyone and is single.
Or he might be having a secret relationship that he does not want the public to know about.
Lindy Waters III is active on Instagram and Twitter. He has 26.9k followers on Instagram and 7.1k followers on Twitter.
Waters has not posted anything about his love life on social media and mostly shares his training and match pictures.
Age, Height & Body Measurements
The Oklahoma City Thunder’s shooting guard is currently 27 years old.
The dark brown-eyed & black-haired NBA player has a height of 1.98 m & weighs 215 lbs.
Net Worth & Contracts
Lindy Waters III holds an estimated net worth between $500k- $1 million as of 2024.
Waters has his own e-commerce website where he sells his merchandise products.
He also posts on his social media featuring Wonbyone and Courtsmith products.
Waters signed a 2 year two way-contract worth an annual salary of $502k with Oklahoma City Thunder on February 10, 2022.
And thanks to his prolific games, Lindy inked a two-year deal worth $3.8 million with the City Thunder on February 27, 2023, converting his two-way contract into a standard one.
The contract includes a club option for the 2023-24 season & has a qualifying offer of $2.43 million for restricted free agency in 2024.
Popularity Graph
The above graph represents the number of searches of Waters over the past twelve months.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Who is Lindy Waters's agent?
Waters' agent is Aaron Turner.
What team does Lindy Waters play for?
He plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder and Oklahoma City Blue in the NBA G-League.
What number is Lindy Waters?
Lindy Waters' jersey number is 12 for the Oklahoma City Thunder and 43 for the Oklahoma City Blue.