Wenyen Gabriel has taken on the role of Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), closing a symbolic circle of life: from the child who fled war-torn Sudan, to a voice of hope for millions of uprooted people.
The news that Wenyen Gabriel has become a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador is not just another honorary distinction for a well-known athlete. For the 29-year-old Besiktas center, it holds a much deeper and personal meaning.
The South Sudan international knows firsthand what it means to be forced to flee your homeland. To leave behind your home and your people, seeking safety in a foreign country. Long before he experienced the big arenas and reached the top level of global basketball, Gabriel was a refugee himself.
Now, through his new role, he is called upon to represent people whose anxieties he has experienced. To use his public platform so that the stories of those uprooted by war and trying to rebuild their lives can be heard.
We're proud to announce Wenyen Gabriel as UNHCR's newest Goodwill Ambassador!
— UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency (@Refugees) July 27, 2026
Born into a family forced to flee conflict, Wenyen knows first-hand what becomes possible when refugees are given the chance to rebuild.
Together, we'll continue standing with people forced to flee… pic.twitter.com/FBa6TYOmzY
A birth in the shadow of war
Wenyen Gabriel was born on March 26, 1997, in Khartoum, during a period when Sudan was in the turmoil of the Second Civil War. The first images of his life were not associated with safety and a carefree childhood, but with fear, uncertainty, and the constant need for survival.
His mother took him and his three siblings and fled Sudan for Egypt. The father of the family stayed behind, while Gabriel’s mother worked tirelessly in Cairo, trying to secure the necessary funds so the entire family could be reunited.
Under these extremely difficult conditions, his older brother, Komot, was forced to mature prematurely. At just seven years old, he essentially took on a protective, almost paternal role for little Wenyen, while the family fought its own daily battle.
The name that carries a family tragedy
Even Gabriel’s name is part of his family’s heartbreaking story. In the Dinka language, “Wenyen” means “wipe your tears.”
The choice of the name is connected to the loss of his older sister, who was born about a year before him but died while still an infant. Gabriel never got to meet her, but her memory accompanies him through his very name.
A name born of pain, but which along the way transformed into a symbol of strength and perseverance.
The UN intervention that changed his life
In 1999, when Gabriel was still two years old, the United Nations helped his family relocate to the USA. Their new destination was Manchester, New Hampshire, a city where a significant community of people from South Sudan had already been established.
There began the effort for a new life. The family lived in a small two-bedroom home, where the four children, their mother, and their aunt resided. The difficulties did not disappear overnight, but they now had the most important things: safety and prospects.
Almost three decades later, the organization that played a decisive role in rescuing and restarting his family is assigning him a new role. The once little refugee now becomes a Goodwill Ambassador, offering his own voice to people who are currently in the position he once was.
From survival to recognition
Gabriel gradually managed to turn the hardships of his childhood into motivation. Through basketball, he forged his own path, reached the NBA, played for great teams, and represented South Sudan in major international tournaments.
His journey was never easy or straightforward. He had to fight for every opportunity and prove his worth in different teams, countries, and leagues. His European journey brought him, among others, to Panathinaikos and now to Besiktas, but his success is not limited to what he has achieved within the four lines of the court.
At the same time, all the children in the family managed to overcome adversity. Komot graduated from the University of New Hampshire, Karima from Boston College, and Mabor from the University of Georgia. From a family that once struggled daily for survival, they all evolved into true winners in life.
More than an honorary title
Gabriel’s selection as a Goodwill Ambassador is not merely a symbolic gesture. His own story can serve as a bridge between the statistics and the real people behind them.
Gabriel does not need to imagine the fear of being a refugee. He has experienced it. He does not need to wonder what it is like to grow up far from your homeland. He knows it. And he does not need to be convinced that an opportunity can change a child’s entire life, because he is the living proof.
From war-torn Sudan and displacement to the courts of the NBA and the EuroLeague, Wenyen Gabriel has traveled a path filled with pain, deprivation, but also countless personal victories. Now he returns, in a sense, to the beginning of this story, to help those who are still seeking their own way out.
The child who once needed the help of the UN is now one of the people who will carry its message to the whole world.