New Warrior Lindy Waters III Looks to Make Impact On and Off Court
By now, you all know his name.
Hoop heads might recognize Lindy Waters III as a former member of the Oklahoma City Thunder who spent time between the main roster and their G-League affiliate over the last three seasons. He was traded on 2024 draft night to the Warriors from OKC in exchange for the 52nd pick, which Golden State would eventually receive back for cash considerations and use to pick up Quinten Post. The Kiowa-American hooper hails from Norman, Oklahoma, where he led his high school to a state championship appearance before going on to play at Oklahoma State.
Waters III has had a reputation as a shooter since his days in Stillwater, nailing his outside shots at a 39% clip on solid volume (3.75 threes a game) over his four-year collegiate career. Although it went off to a rough start with a slew of injuries, in his freshman year he was able to participate on a team that would reach the NCAA tournament, and showed steady growth as a player through his time at OSU with jumps in efficiency and counting stats each year on the roster.
After going undrafted in 2020, Waters III played a stint with the Enid Outlaws of The Basketball League, taking advantage of his opportunity for some well-rounded numbers of 12.6 points, 4.9 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game. He’d later go on to try out for his hometown Oklahoma City Blue for his shot at a leap to the NBA, and sure enough, his sharpshooting and do-it-all playstyle landed him a spot. Of all the improvements he’s seemed to make through his pro career, however, his defense has been noted by scouts to be trending up for his position, something he’s clearly worked to improved in addition to his various contributions across the floor. He would go on to be a key contributor to the Blue’s G-League championship last season.
While his emergence to Warriors fans was most noticeably his preseason game-winner against the Clippers, where he nailed a deep three from the right wing to bury LA as the game clock expired, last night really showed why Waters III earned his spot in the league. He acted as a sparkplug for a short-handed Warriors team in dire need of offense, putting up 21 points in 31 minutes off the bench, shooting 61% from the field (3-for-7 on threes) while adding 8 boards, 4 assists, and some solid defense for a very balanced performance. In a way, he’s the representative for the scrappy, next-man-up basketball that Golden State will need to play in order to make noise this year in a crowded Western Conference.
Off the court, Lindy Waters III was named a finalist for last year’s Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion Award for his work via the Lindy Waters III Foundation, which he created to “provide a platform for individual improvement, opportunity, exposure, and access for all Native youth” through various basketball, general fitness, and leadership programs. Waters III, a citizen of the Kiowa Nation and descended from the Cherokee people, has used his platform to inspire other Native Americans and give back to the heritage he’s proud of: He was named “Indian of the Year” by the American Indian Exposition during his sophomore year in college, since continuing his work to uplift his people without pause.
"Any way I can give back to them, I'm gonna do that. I also want to try to be a role model in the Native American community for those types of kids. If they see my face and I get to have just a short conversation with them, just to let them know that their dreams are achievable just like mine were, that's what I'm going to do.” Waters III said in an interview with Bally Sports Oklahoma reporter Nick Gallo, back in 2021.
The Bay Area is home to Indigenous people predominantly of Ohlone descent, although 10 other tribes inhabit the greater region. For the plethora of Native Americans in the Bay, Waters III’s emergence and story make him a natural role model, an inspiration amongst a short list of players who identify with Native American ancestry in the NBA. That list includes Lindy, Kyrie Irving of the Mavericks, and MarJon Beauchamp of the Bucks.
Moving forward, head coach Steve Kerr mentioned that Lindy Waters III has established himself in the 13-man rotation, and while that may thin out as the season goes on, the 6’6 wing brings elite spacing and a variety of high-level skills that mean he can fit in several line-ups. As a bolster to both the team and the community at-large, we’re excited to have Waters III in the Bay.
(Photo credit: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images))