The excitement is at its peak. EuroLeague leaders Hapoel Tel Aviv will return to Yad Eliyahu Arena (21:05) for a European matchup against Žalgiris Kaunas, the first continental clash since February 10, 1988, just under 38 years ago when the late Dražen Petrović exploded against the Reds and picked up Korac Cup semifinal victory for his team, Cibona Zagreb, 103–93.

The Croatian legend produced a mythical stat line of 59 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, 6 steals, and a perfect 15/15 from the free-throw line. Nearly every defender took a turn guarding him and came back with their tail between their legs, eventually joining the rest of the crowd in applauding him at the final buzzer.

I don’t pretend to know how a hypothetical matchup between Cibona Zagreb of 1988 and Hapoel Tel Aviv of the 2025-2026 campaign would have ended. I won’t dare to bet, estimate, or even guess how many points Petrović would have scored. Perhaps the only thing I can state with confidence is the identity of the Reds player who would have been tasked with the toughest assignment on the court in that imaginary scenario, staying glued to Dražen’s light-blue jersey.

That player would be Ish Wainright, Dimitrios Itoudis’ bodyguard.

Ishmail Wainright, born 31 years ago in Kansas City, has traveled quite the athletic journey. The American forward (1.96 m / 6’5”), who currently represents the Ugandan national team, grew up in a basketball family. His grandfather, Maurice King, was an NBA champion in 1960 with the Boston Celtics and his father split his time between teaching and coaching basketball. Ish followed in their footsteps, playing at the prestigious Montrose Christian School, previously home to a guy you might know named Kevin Durant. He spent four college seasons at Baylor University, where he stood out mainly as a defensive player on a team that featured none other than his current teammate, Jonathan Motley.

One of Wainright’s most important qualities for Hapoel is his versatility. Ish is a utility player—someone who can meet different needs in different games, on both ends of the floor and even, early on, in other sports altogether. Yes, really. After going undrafted in the 2017 NBA Draft, Wainright chose to stay at Baylor for an additional year, but as part of the football team. He weighed around 120 kg (265 lbs) of muscle, played tight end and even scored a few touchdowns, helping him earn a conditional NFL contract. Here’s one of them.

Ish. Wainright. #SicKU pic.twitter.com/2VS0moANRz

— Baylor Football (@BUFootball) November 4, 2017

As is often the case with conditional contracts, the expected happened: Wainright was cut from the Buffalo Bills roster before the season began. After a year away from basketball, the big man who will guard Žalgiris’ stars tonight returned to the court and began his European career in Germany’s second division. His goal was the EuroLeague, but he spent two seasons in Nürnberg and then at Rasta Vechta, focused mainly on proving he could bounce back from his football experiment.

COVID got in the way and Ish signed for a season with Strasbourg, where he posted the best offensive numbers of his career (11.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists) and carried the team alongside Bonzie Colson to the semifinals of both the French league and the Basketball Champions League.

After just three seasons, without playing at Europe’s very top level, Wainright received an opportunity in the best league in the world, with the Toronto Raptors. Once again, it was a non-guaranteed deal and yet again, he was cut before the season, but he did get another chance, this time from the Phoenix Suns.

Wainright fulfilled his father’s dream by playing his first NBA season, a season that also became his father’s last. The forward served as a complementary player, focusing on defense, rebounding and 3-point shooting. Gradually, he earned his place in Phoenix’s highly unbalanced and with hard work earned him rotation minutes alongside Devin Booker, Chris Paul and Durant as he made 105 regular-season NBA appearances in two seasons.

In his second year, he averaged a respectable 15 minutes per game, with a peak moment against Dallas: he played the final 14 minutes, camped in the corner, drilled four threes and became the X-factor in a win. His résumé also includes 13 playoff appearances and one unforgettable moment against Boston, a nonchalant, quarterback-style full-court shot just after the buzzer that touched nothing but net, a contender for the fictional award “the prettiest shot that didn’t count.”

He began the 2023–24 season in Portland but was waived after appearing in just seven games. Phoenix gave him another chance, but he was released again after only four games.

Last year, he returned to Europe as part of Hapoel Tel Aviv’s ambitious project and from the moment he landed in Israel, Ish felt at home. Just like in his NBA years, he didn’t arrive as a star. Hapoel didn’t need him to be one on a roster featuring Antonio Blakeney, Yam Madar and Motley. What they needed was exactly what he brought from Phoenix: defensive stability, positional versatility derived from exceptional physical tools, help on the boards, and occasionally an open three.

In a podcast earlier this year (EuroInsiders), he said: “The key to success in the NBA is accepting that you’re a role player and focusing on what you do best.” Apparently, what worked for Phoenix works for Hapoel Tel Aviv as well. He ended his first season with the first title of his career, lifting the EuroCup trophy and securing the Reds’ debut EuroLeague season.

This season, Hapoel is playing on the biggest stage and firing in all directions. With significant roster upgrades compared to last year, Vasilije Micic, Elijah Bryant, Dan Oturu and others, you might have expected Wainright’s role in the experienced Greek coach’s hierarchy to diminish.

Instead, Ish has remained one of his most important cogs, thanks to his unique contribution. His ability to guard any player in the EuroLeague allows Hapoel to hide those who prefer not to. His patience is perfect in a team full of ball-dominant guards who collapse defenses and his experience on the big stage makes him one of the leaders in a new locker room that wants, above all else, to win.

Ish Wainright has been through so much in his career, from a prestigious high school to a full college career, then a year of football. Three seasons across three different teams and three different leagues in Germany and France before carving out a meaningful NBA career. He’s only 31, but for a long time Ish Wainright was a heart-and-soul player without a home and it seems he has found that home at Hapoel Tel Aviv.