'Still the best job in the world.' Former Gonzaga wing Corey Kispert reflects on career with NBA's Wizards during Spokane visit

Corey Kispert’s antenna stays up this time of year, no different than any other NBA player trying to monitor and follow the endless trail of trades and transactions that usually keep front offices occupied and fans engaged during the league’s free-agency period.

A blockbuster deal that materialized June 24 was compelling to Kispert for multiple reasons – it involved his Washington Wizards and it involved another member of Gonzaga’s growing NBA contingent.

One day before the NBA draft, the Wizards sent two players, top scorer Joran Poole and forward Saddiq Bey, along with the 40th overall pick, to the New Orleans Pelicans. Washington’s return in the trade included guard CJ McCollum and veteran forward Kelly Olynyk, the longest-tenured ex-Zag in the NBA, along with a future second-round pick.

“Cool, really cool,” Kispert said of the deal. “A lot of the times those trades shake out, you don’t know how it’s going to finish or end up, but having a familiar face in the building is going to be really fun. Haven’t played with Kelly yet, so I’m really excited for that.”

Kispert’s tenure at Gonzaga started four years after Olynyk’s ended, but the two have chatted during regular-season meetings between their respective teams and occasionally attend the annual dinner organized for ex-Zags in the NBA during Summer League in Las Vegas.

“I can’t say I have a super personal relationship with him yet,” Kispert said, “but I’m looking forward to making that happen.”

There’s a good chance Kispert and Olynyk will share the court together next season, but it’s not a certainty. Kispert’s name has surfaced in trade rumors since his rookie season. There’s a growing sense the Wizards could seek trade partners for the wing as they continue to build around a young core of recent lottery picks including Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington and Tre Johnson.

There was still no news on that front by the time Kispert returned to the Inland Northwest last weekend for Spokane Hoopfest. Free agency was understandably the last thing on his mind during a full Saturday that started in the morning with 5-on-5 runs against current Zags players, continued with an autograph session at the Dick’s Sporting Goods booth set up at Riverfront Park and culminated with dunk contest judging duties at the Pavilion.

“It’s part of the job,” Kispert said. “You can spend a lot of time and energy getting worked up and anxious about it, but the better way is to let news roll off your back, good or bad, and take each season as it comes rather than worrying about what’s next.”

That’s the perspective and wisdom Kispert’s gained through now four seasons in the NBA. Trade speculation surrounding the 26-year-old has never come to fruition. It’s possible Kispert’s learned more about the business side of the NBA from watching dozens of teammates come and go during his time with the Wizards.

The organization recently waived veteran forward Anthony Gill, making Kispert Washington’s longest-tenured player at just four years of service.

“It’s a whole lot different than college,” he said. “I do feel like a vet. I know what’s coming. It’s a whole lot different from college basketball, but it’s still the best job in the world and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Kispert’s been one of the league’s premier catch-and-shoot players since he arrived as a rookie in 2021-22. The former Zag has excelled the past three seasons in particular, averaging 2.1 3-pointers per game on a shooting clip of 39%.

Kispert has never shot lower than 35% on 3-pointers in a single season and is coming off a year when he averaged 11.6 points and a career-high 3.0 rebounds, despite coming off the bench in each of his 61 appearances.

A torn ligament in his left thumb sidelined Kispert for the final stretch of the regular season, but the team expects him to make a full recovery before the start of next season.

Kispert continues to excel in his catch-and-shoot opportunities, but he identified one area of his offensive game he’s hoping to dial in this offseason.

“Trying to be better shooting off the dribble,” he said. “It’s not a lot of dribbles, it’s pick-and-rolls, it’s dribble handoffs, it’s short isolations, getting more shots up and hopefully getting my volume of 3s up.”

Kispert, who resides in Washington, D.C., during the regular season and spends offseasons in the Phoenix area, hadn’t been back to the Spokane area in a handful of years.

Before Hoopfest obligations, he reunited with former college coaches Mark Few and Brian Michaelson, along with an array of ex-Gonzaga teammates who were in town, including Andrew Nembhard, Killian Tillie and Joel Ayayi.

A former consensus first-team All-American, Kispert also had a chance to go up and down the floor with members of GU’s 2025-26 roster and spoke highly of the group’s energy and competitive nature.

“I was there this morning, played pickup with them,” Kispert said. “They’re a lot of really hard workers, passionate guys. The energy was high, which is awesome for a random Saturday in June, and I’m really excited to see what they put together. They’re off to a really good start.”

Kispert’s still involved with the program in a handful of ways. He’s been a resource to GU’s staff on the recruiting trail, putting in phone calls to certain prospects the Zags have targeted, and continues to watch his alma mater from afar when the schedules and time zones allow it. It’s possible he’ll have company from Olynyk when watching GU games on the road next season.

“Obviously, the time zone’s tough, the late starts on the East Coast are tricky, but any nationally televised game or any big game, I’ll watch,” he said.

Kispert signed autographs for roughly an hour Saturday, only making it through a fraction of the long line before he was whisked away to the Pavilion for the dunk contest. The fifth-year NBA player from Seattle is a Hoopfest alum and said he’s glad to see the popular 3-on-3 tournament grow every year.

“Basketball’s a huge deal here and it’s awesome to see the streets shut down for people playing basketball,” Kispert said. “It’s the best level, the grassroots level, and it’s something I did when I was a kid for three or four years. A lot of good nostalgia, a lot of good memories.”