Son of Nigerian immigrant has gone from G League gunslinger to starting point guard in the NBA Finals.
Franklyn Vincent, Gabe’s father, left Nigeria for the United States in 1980 to receive a quality education and a goal and mission to “better himself.”
The psychology professor at California State University, Stanislaus achieved these aims by getting married, having three sons, and receiving a doctorate in psychology. Gabe, the youngest son of Vincent, will serve as an example for young people all around the world who want to succeed despite the challenges they face if he succeeds in his quest to win his first NBA championship with the Miami Heat.
“He’s come a long way,” Franklyn Vincent told Andscape. “He’s gone through lots of struggles. He’s very tenacious. Determined. Very principled. What else can I say? He’s an all-around nice young man. I couldn’t be more of a proud dad to see my son in that situation.
“Like any journey, there are trials and tribulations. I’m just happy that he stayed focused and was already to play his role. I was also happy for him.”
Vincent and the Miami Heat won a hard-fought Game 2 of their best-of-seven series 111-108 on Sunday night, tying the Denver Nuggets at 1-1 in the 2023 NBA Finals. In 32 minutes, Vincent finished with a game-high 23 points for Miami, making 4 3-pointers, giving out 3 assists, and grabbing 2 steals. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound point guard also had a team-high eight points and a game-high +22 plus-minus in the second quarter.
“I know how comfortable he is,” Heat All-Star guard Jimmy Butler said. “I know the level of confidence that we have in him and that he has in himself to go out there and run the offense at any point in time, first through fourth quarter, maybe even overtime. And we live with the decisions and the shots that he makes and takes, and he’s our starting PG for a reason.”
Vincent’s undrafted status after graduating from UC Santa Barbara in 2018 is just one of the numerous motivating factors behind his story. The product of Modesto, California, began his professional playing career with the Stockton Kings of the Sacramento Kings’ G League. Vincent’s rights were purchased by the Heat on January 8, 2020, when he signed a two-way contract. The 2019–20 G League Most Improved Player has developed since then, going from a “gunslinger” when he started his Heat career with G League Sioux Falls to the team’s starting point guard in these NBA Finals over players like six-time All-Star Kyle Lowry.
Former coworkers Franklyn and Cynthia Vincent fell in love, got married, had three boys, and have resided in Modesto, California, for a very long time. Gabriel Nnamdi Vincent, the eldest of their kids, was born on June 14, 1996. Huge football lover Franklyn Vincent immigrated to the United States. But when Gabe developed a love for basketball while participating in a school sport in his youth, the Vincent family enthusiastically encouraged him.
We gave him all the assistance he required. We were there for him, no matter what he needed to do or where he needed to go, said Franklyn Vincent.
Franklyn Vincent brought his family back to Nigeria to his birthplace of Port Harcourt when his son was 3 years old. The city, which has a population of about 1 million, is renowned for its fishing villages, ports, abundant crude oil resources, and farmland. It was crucial to him that he instill in his sons a sense of self-confidence and pride in their Nigerian background. And he thinks that his son now lives by those ideals.
“I taught him to have a sense of confidence, believe in himself, be respectful of others and stay true to who he is and what he knows is best,” Franklyn Vincent said.
As a member of Nigeria’s national men’s basketball team in 2019, Vincent travelled back to Nigeria for the first time since his early youth to prepare for the World Cup in China. Then, Nigeria earned a spot in the 2020 Summer Olympics after winning the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup as the top African team.
“Nigeria was cool. We had practices where we were able to see the city a little bit, but not too much,” Vincent said. “I could barely see it. We were only there four or five days before we got our visas to China. Nigeria was beautiful. Obviously, it has its own set of issues and things it is dealing with like any country. But it’s a beautiful country of beautiful people.”
“It meant a whole lot to see my son not only represent a team, but the whole nation,” Franklyn Vincent said. “Also, a nation that is recognized by the continent of Africa. I applaud him for that …
“That’s my country, man. That’s my birth country. And it means a whole lot. Yes. It’s everything. It is my identity.”
“It meant a lot to have Nigeria on my jersey. Millions of people. It means a lot to represent them and I represent them proudly, especially with my middle name that they recognize so much,” Vincent said.
Franklyn Vincent watched the exhibition game where the Nigerians defeated the USA 90-87 in an upset win behind 21 points from Vincent in Las Vegas on July 10, 2021. While it was just an exhibition game, beating the eventual Olympic champions is the most notable win in African basketball history and inspired Nigeria and the entire continent.
Vincent claims to be interested in the Basketball Africa League and the opportunities it provides for African athletes. Africa is recognised for generating, not NBA point guards, but a long list of outstanding big men. Nigerian former NBA champion Festus Ezeli thinks Vincent is an inspiration to the continent’s young basketball players.
“To Nigeria, Gabe Vincent is an example of knowing where you come from, having a foundation of hard work and taking advantage of opportunities when you have them,” Ezeli told Andscape. “Also, shining in public and showing the results of your hard work that you have done in private for so long. Those are all of the things that he means for us.
“But he is a shining example of what it means to be proud of your heritage. At the end of the day, he is playing for the Nigerian national team and able to rise to the top through those opportunities. And now he is taking advantage of it.”
