Gary Harris (born September 14, 1994) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player for the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United ...

(NBA). He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the

Michigan State Spartans The Michigan State Spartans are the athletic teams that represent Michigan State University. The school's athletic program includes 23 varsity sports teams. Their mascot is a Spartan warrior named Sparty, and the school colors are green and whi ...

High school career

Harris attended

Hamilton Southeastern High School Hamilton Southeastern High School (HSE or HSHS) is a public secondary school in Fishers, Indiana, United States. It is a part of the Hamilton Southeastern School District. History During the 2003–2004 school year, the Hamilton Southeastern scho ...

Fishers, Indiana Fishers is a city in Fall Creek Township, Hamilton County, Indiana, Fall Creek and Delaware Township, Hamilton County, Indiana, Delaware townships, Hamilton County, Indiana, Hamilton County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2010 United States Cens ...

. As a sophomore in 2009–10, he averaged 14 points, four rebounds, two assists and three steals per game as he led Hamilton SE to a 17–4 record. As a junior in 2010–11, he averaged 18.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.7 steals per game as he led the Royals to a 20–4 record and a trip to the Class 4A regional finals, capturing just the second sectional championship in school history. In November 2011, Harris signed a

National Letter of Intent National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

to play

for

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...

. As a senior in 2011–12, Harris averaged 25.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 4.0 steals per game as he led the Royals to a 22–3 record, advancing to the Class 4A sectional final. He finished his high school career with a school-record 1540 points (16.7 ppg), 467 rebounds (5.1 rpg), 232 assists (2.5 apg) and 232 steals (2.5 spg). Harris was rated among the top players in the nation by ESPNU100 (No. 11), Scout.com (No. 16) and Rivals.com (No. 25). He was also ranked among the nation's top shooting guards by ESPNU100 (No. 2), Scout.com (No. 4) and Rivals.com (No. 7). Harris was also an outstanding football player at Hamilton SE, playing wide receiver in his sophomore, junior and senior years. He won three league championships, while also adding a sectional championship as a senior.

College career

As a freshman at

in 2012–13, Harris was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, becoming the first

Spartan Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referred ...

to win the award since 1986. He was also a second-team All-Big Ten selection and a Big Ten All-Freshman Team honoree. In 34 games (33 starts), he averaged 12.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.2 steals in 29.7 minutes per game. As a sophomore in 2013–14, Harris earned first-team All-Big Ten, All-Big Ten Defensive Team, USBWA All-District selection, first-team NABC All-District, and an honorable mention Associated Press All-American honors. In the season opener against McNeese State, he recorded his first career double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. On January 25, 2014, he recorded a career-high 27 points against Michigan. In 35 games, he averaged 16.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.8 steals in 32.3 minutes per game. On April 14, 2014, Harris declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his final two years of college eligibility.

Professional career

Denver Nuggets (2014–2021)

On June 26, 2014, Harris was selected with the 19th overall pick in the

2014 NBA draft The 2014 NBA draft was held on June 26, 2014, at the Barclays Center, Brooklyn National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. ...

by the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January ...

. He was later traded to the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the ...

on draft night along with Jusuf Nurkić (16th pick) and a second round pick for

Doug McDermott Douglas Richard McDermott (born January 3, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). While playing college basketball for Creighton University, he led the nation in ...

(11th pick) and Anthony Randolph. On July 31, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Nuggets after averaging 18.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.6 steals and 2.0 assists in five Summer League games for the team. After missing the first seven games of the 2014–15 season due to a back injury, Harris made his NBA debut on November 14 against the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Central Division (NBA ...

. In 18 minutes of action, he recorded 13 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 block in a 108–87 win. He did not manage to eclipse that scoring total for the rest of the season, tying his season high of 13 points in the second last game of the season against the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clippe ...

. In July 2015, Harris re-joined the Nuggets for the 2015 NBA Summer League. On October 11, the Nuggets exercised their third-year team option on Harris' rookie scale contract, extending the contract through the 2016–17 season. He earned the Nuggets' starting shooting guard spot for the 2015–16 season, going on to score a then career-high 20 points on November 20 in a loss to the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

. Harris missed a string of six games between November 28 and December 8 due to a concussion he suffered against the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

on November 27. He returned to action on December 11 against the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

, starting in his 17th game of the season and scoring 12 points in a 111–108 win. In the following game on December 14, Harris scored a career-high 21 points in a 114–108 win over the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its h ...

. He tied that career high on December 22, scoring 21 points in a loss to the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

. Harris had another 21-point effort on March 4, 2016 in an overtime loss to the

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The ...

. In 2015–16, Harris was just one of seven players to average 12+ points, shoot 47% from the field, 35% from three, and 81% from the free throw line. During the 2016 off-season, he was part of the USA Men's Select Team, a team selected to train with the USA Basketball Men's National Team in preparation for the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics. In July 2016, Harris re-joined the Nuggets for the

2016 NBA Summer League The 2016 NBA Summer League consisted of three pro basketball leagues organized by the National Basketball Association (NBA): the Orlando Pro Summer League, Utah Jazz Summer League, and Las Vegas Summer League. Ten teams participated in the w ...

. On October 5, 2016, he was ruled out for four to six weeks with a partially torn right groin. On October 21, the Nuggets exercised their fourth-year team option on Harris' rookie scale contract, extending the contract through the 2017–18 season. He missed the first four games of the 2016–17 season with the groin injury, but upon returning to action in early November, he sustained a foot injury after just five games. He was subsequently sidelined for up to four weeks. In his first game back on December 15 after missing 16 straight, Harris scored 18 points in a 132–120 win over the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western C ...

. Four days later, he scored a career-high 24 points in a 117–107 win over the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Southwest Division. T ...

. On February 24, 2017, he set a new career high with 25 points in a 129–109 win over the

. He bested that mark on March 8, 2017, scoring 26 points in a 123–113 loss to the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...

. On March 20, 2017, he set a new career high with 28 points in a 125–124 loss to the

. On October 12, 2017, Harris signed a four-year, $84 million contract extension with the Nuggets. On December 13, 2017, he scored a career-high 36 points in a 124–118 loss to the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

. On January 3, 2018, he scored 28 of his 36 points in the first half of the Nuggets' 134–111 win over the

. On February 1, 2018, he made the winning 3-pointer at the buzzer and finished with 25 points to lift the Nuggets to a 127–124 victory over the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays ...

. On April 9, 2018, Harris returned from an 11-game absence to score 12 points off the bench in an 88–82 win over the

. Harris missed 11 games in December due to a right hip injury, and five games in January with hamstring tightness. He later missed seven games with a right adductor strain.

Orlando Magic (2021–present)

On March 25, 2021, Harris, R. J. Hampton and a future first round pick were traded to the

in exchange for Aaron Gordon and

Gary Clark Gary Clark or Gary Clarke may refer to: Sports *Gary Clarke (rugby league) (fl. 1968), New Zealand former professional rugby league footballer *Gary Clark (American football) (born 1962), American former football player *Gary Clark (footballer) (bo ...

. On June 30, 2022, Harris signed a two-year, $26 million contract extension with the Magic. On December 29, he was suspended by the NBA for one game without pay due to coming off the bench during an altercation in a game against the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at ...

the day before.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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, 76 , , 76 , , 32.1 , , .469 , , .354 , , .820 , , 2.9 , , 1.9 , , 1.3 , , .2 , , 12.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

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, 67 , , 65 , , 34.4 , , .485 , , .396 , , .827 , , 2.6 , , 2.9 , , 1.8 , , .2 , , 17.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 57 , , 48 , , 28.8 , , .424 , , .339 , , .799 , , 2.8 , , 2.2 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 12.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 56 , , 55 , , 31.8 , , .420 , , .333 , , .815 , , 2.9 , , 2.1 , , 1.4 , , .3 , , 10.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

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Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...

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, 61 , , 30 , , 28.4 , , .434 , , .384 , , .874 , , 2.0 , , 1.8 , , 1.0 , , .1 , , 11.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 468 , , 374 , , 28.8 , , .448 , , .363 , , .812 , , 2.5 , , 2.1 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , 11.8

Playoffs

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2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experi ...

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Awards and honors

*2012 Indiana Mr. Basketball *2012 Jordan Brand Classic game invitee *2012 Indiana Gatorade Player of the Year *2012 Indiana All-Star *2012 Indiana-Kentucky All-Star series MVP *2012 First-team ''Parade'' All-American *2011 Indiana Junior All-Star *2011 All-Hoosier Cross Roads Conference *2011 Indianapolis Star First Team honoree *2011 Hamilton County Player of the Year *2011 Hoosier Basketball Magazine All-State selection

Personal life

Harris is the son of Gary and Joy Harris (née Holmes). Joy was a four-year letterwinner at Purdue from 1987 to 1991, and currently ranks seventh in school history with 1,747 points; a 1991 first-team Kodak/WBCA All-American, she went on to play in the WNBA for the

Detroit Shock The Detroit Shock were a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. They were the 2003, 2006, and 2008 WNBA champions. Debuting in 1998, the Shock were one of the league's first expansion franchises. ...

in 2000. On January 28, 2020, Harris welcomed his first child.

References

External links

Michigan State Spartans bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Gary 1994 births Living people 21st-century African-American sportspeople African-American basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Indiana Chicago Bulls draft picks Denver Nuggets players McDonald's High School All-Americans Michigan State Spartans men's basketball players Orlando Magic players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) People from Fishers, Indiana Shooting guards