Josh Hart (born March 6, 1995) 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 court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player for 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 Con ...

in 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 St ...

(NBA). He was selected in the first round of the

2017 NBA draft The 2017 NBA draft was held on June 22, 2017, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. ...

by the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

with the 30th overall pick before being traded on draft night to the Los Angeles Lakers. Hart 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 Villanova. As a sophomore, Hart was named the Big East tournament most outstanding player. He was named a third-team All-American as a junior, when he helped lead the Wildcats to a national championship in 2016. As a senior in 2017, he was a consensus first-team All-American. He played two seasons for the Lakers before being traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in 2019 in a package for Anthony Davis.

Early life

Hart was born on March 6, 1995, in

Silver Spring, Maryland Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Although officially unincorporated, in practice it is an edge city, with a population of 81,015 at the 2020 ce ...

, to Moses and Pat Hart. He has two siblings, Moses Joseph Hart and Aimee Hart. He is also the great-nephew of the baseball catcher

Elston Howard Elston Gene Howard (February 23, 1929 – December 14, 1980) was an American professional baseball player who was a catcher and a left fielder. During a 14-year baseball career, he played in the Negro leagues and Major League Baseball from 1948 t ...

. Growing up, Hart gravitated toward basketball and earned a reputation as a high-energy player. While he excelled in basketball from a young age, Hart didn't get any interest from private schools and enrolled at Wheaton High School. He briefly attended Wheaton before transferring to

Sidwell Friends School Sidwell Friends School is a Quaker school located in Bethesda, Maryland and Washington, D.C., offering pre-kindergarten through high school classes. Founded in 1883 by Thomas W. Sidwell, its motto is ' ( en, Let the light shine out from all), a ...

, where as a junior he averaged 20.6 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. However, he was nearly kicked out of school due to poor grades until several students and parents petitioned the school to give him a second chance. As a senior, Hart averaged 24.3 points, 13.4 rebounds and 2.8 steals per game in leading the team to a 22–9 record. He was a first-team All-Met selection by ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' and

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's 82nd-ranked prospect in the class of 2013. After considering

Rutgers Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and w ...

and Penn State, Hart signed a letter of intent with Villanova in November 2012. "It's about doing the things that the coaches want me to do," he said after committing. "I might not hit the winning three but I'm going to be the one that goes and gets a rebound when we need it and goes on the floor for a loose ball, anything to win." He got to know future Villanova teammate

Kris Jenkins Kristopher Rudy-Charles Jenkins (born August 3, 1979) is a former American football defensive tackle who played for the Carolina Panthers and New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of ...

while playing AAU basketball in the Washington area. Hart was awarded

Boy Scouts of America The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded ...

's highest rank,

Eagle Scout Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle S ...

, and became one of only three known Eagle Scouts who have played in the NCAA's Final Four (along with Princeton's Bill Bradley and Stanford's Mark Madsen). He is the only Eagle Scout to ever start on an

NCAA Men's Basketball Championship The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, branded as NCAA March Madness and commonly called March Madness, is a single-elimination tournament played each spring in the United States, currently featuring 68 college basketball teams from ...

team.

College career

Freshman

A 2013–14 Big East All-Rookie Team selection, Hart averaged 7.8 points and 4.0 rebounds per contest as a freshman at Villanova. He was named Big East Rookie of the Week three times. He did not shoot the ball particularly well, making 31 percent of his three-point tries, but possessed "amazing confidence," according to assistant coach Baker Dunleavy. In the second game of his collegiate career, a 90–59 win over Mount St. Mary's, Hart posted a

double-double In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the term ...

of 17 points and 11 rebounds. He scored a season-high 19 points in an 88–67 win over Rider on December 21, 2013. Hart had 18 points and eight rebounds in a loss to

Seton Hall Seton Hall University (SHU) is a private Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey. Founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesa ...

in the Big East tournament quarterfinals.

Sophomore

Hart and teammate

Darrun Hilliard Darrun Hilliard II (born April 13, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League and the EuroLeague. Hilliard attended Liberty High School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where ...

both scored 20 points in an 85–62 rout of

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

on December 14, 2014. Hart scored 21 points in a December 20 game against Syracuse. The Wildcats never led in regulation and were down by 14 points in the second half, but managed to pull out an 82–77 overtime win. On February 28, 2015, in the second half of a game against Xavier, Hart was hit in the mouth during a scramble for the ball, requiring stitches on his lip. As a sophomore, Hart was named the

Big East The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in ten men's sports and twelve women's sports. Headquartered in New York City, the eleven full-member schools are primarily located in Northeast and ...

's sixth man of the year at the conclusion of the regular season. "He's the perfect sixth man because he can come in and play any position except probably point guard," head coach Jay Wright said. Hart was the most outstanding player of the 2015 Big East men's basketball tournament, the first bench player to receive the honor. He was the tournament's leading scorer at 17.7 points per game, including a 20-point performance in an 84–49 quarterfinals victory over Marquette. He improved his three-point shooting to 47.3 percent, forcing opposing teams to guard him more on the perimeter. He improved his season averages to 10.1 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.

Junior

Hart's 2015–16 Wildcats were the unanimous coaches preseason selection to win the conference. In the NIT season tip-off, Hart scored a career-high 27 points to help Villanova defeat

Akron Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city ...

by a score of 75–56. On January 2, 2016, Hart scored 25 points in a win over Creighton. Hart led the Wildcats to reach number one in the AP Poll by climbing to the top of the

2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings Two human polls make up the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings, the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll, in addition to various publications' preseason polls. Legend AP Poll USA Today Coaches Poll The Coaches Poll is the second ol ...

on February 8. He was named to the 35-man midseason watchlist for the

Naismith Trophy The Naismith Trophy is a trophy awarded to the men's champion of the FIBA Basketball World Cup, and is named in honor of basketball's inventor, James Naismith. The trophy was first awarded to the winner of the 1967 FIBA World Championship. The ...

on February 11. At the conclusion of the regular season, Hart was unanimously selected first-team All-Big East. Hart was named a third-team All-American by the

National Association of Basketball Coaches The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, is an American organization of men's college basketball coaches. It was founded in 1927 by Phog Allen, head men's basketball coach at the University ...

He then helped Villanova win its second national championship in school history, and first since 1985. On the season, he averaged 15.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. Hart briefly thought about the 2016 NBA draft, but pulled his name out before the deadline.

Senior

20170213 Villanova-Depaul Josh Hart driving

Coming into his senior season, Hart's Wildcats were projected to win the Big East by the coaches and he was named Preseason Player of the Year. He was named to the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...

preseason All-America team on November 2, 2016. In November Hart scored a then-career high 30 points vs Wake Forest in a 96–77 win at the

Charleston Classic The Charleston Classic is a three-day invitational college basketball season-opening tournament held in Charleston, South Carolina. An ESPN-owned and operated event, it is contested at TD Arena, home of the College of Charleston Cougars. Each t ...

. On December 10, Hart scored a career-high 37 points along with 11 rebounds and four assists in a 74–66 win over Notre Dame to push No. 1 Villanova to a 10–0 record. On March 11, 2017, in the regular season finale versus

Creighton Bluejays The Creighton Bluejays, or Jays, are the athletic teams that represent Creighton University, a Jesuit/Catholic University in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. They compete in NCAA Division I in the Big East Conference. Sports sponsored Baseba ...

Hart scored 29 points in a 74–60 win. Unlike the previous season, Hart's Villanova career would end in disappointment, when Bronson Koenig outgunned Hart and the other Wildcats while leading the Wisconsin Badgers to a 65–62 victory in the 2nd round in the Tournament. On January 19, 2022, Hart's number 3 jersey was retired by the Wildcats.

Professional career

Los Angeles Lakers (2017–2019)

Hart was selected in the first round of the

by the

with the 30th overall pick. He was subsequently traded to the Los Angeles Lakers along with the 42nd overall pick, Thomas Bryant, in exchange for the Lakers' 28th overall pick, Tony Bradley. In his first start on December 14, 2017, Hart recorded a

against the Cleveland Cavaliers, scoring 11 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Hart fractured his left hand in practice on February 28 and was sidelined until the end of March. In his final game as a rookie, Hart scored a career-high 30 points 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 Clipper ...

, shooting 7 of 9 from three. Hart finished the season averaging 7.9 points per game and 4.2 rebounds per game, recording 8 double-doubles. Hart shot 39.6% from three, leading the team in three-point percentage. Hart was named the league MVP of the 2018 NBA Summer League after averaging 24.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game and setting a new Summer League game-high of 37 points for the Lakers' players. Prior to the 2018–19 season, he switched his jersey to No. 3 after playing with No. 5 as a rookie. On March 28, 2019, the Lakers announced that Hart had undergone a successful ultrasonic debridement procedure on his right knee patellar tendon and was expected to miss the remainder of 2018–19 season.

New Orleans Pelicans (2019–2022)

On July 6, 2019, the Lakers traded Hart,

Lonzo Ball Lonzo Anderson Ball (born October 27, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A point guard, he played college basketball for one season with the UCLA Bruins, earn ...

Brandon Ingram Brandon Xavier Ingram (born September 2, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the second overall pick in the ...

, the draft rights to De'Andre Hunter, two first round picks, a first-round pick swap and cash to the New Orleans Pelicans for All-Star Anthony Davis. On February 16, 2021, Hart scored a season-high 27 points and grabbed nine rebounds during a 144-113 win against the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...

. On November 13, 2021, Hart recorded a career-high 11 assists in a 112–101 win over the

Portland Trail Blazers (2022–present)

On February 8, 2022, the

acquired Hart,

Nickeil Alexander-Walker Nickeil Alexander-Walker (born September 2, 1998) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Virginia Tech Hokies. A shooting gua ...

Tomáš Satoranský Tomáš Satoranský (born 30 October 1991) is a Czech professional basketball player for FC Barcelona of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. Standing at , he primarily plays at the point guard position, but he can also play as a shooting ...

, Didi Louzada, a protected 2022 first-round draft pick, the better of New Orleans’ and Portland’s 2026 second-round draft picks and New Orleans’ 2027 second-round draft pick from the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for

CJ McCollum Christian James McCollum (born September 19, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). During his third year in the league in 2015–16, he was named the NBA Mo ...

, Larry Nance Jr. and Tony Snell. On March 12, Hart scored a career-high 44 points, along with 8 rebounds and 6 assists, on 15-of-21 shooting and 6-of-9 from beyond the arc in a 127–118 victory over 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 November 7, 2022, Hart put up 12 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists, alongside a buzzer-beating, game-winning three in a 110–107 win over the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

L.A. 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 ...

, 63 , , 23 , , 23.2 , , .469 , , .396 , , .702 , , 4.2 , , 1.3 , , .7 , , .3 , , 7.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 67 , , 22 , , 25.6 , , .407 , , .336 , , .688 , , 3.7 , , 1.4 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , 7.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, 65 , , 16 , , 27.0 , , .423 , , .342 , , .739 , , 6.5 , , 1.7 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , 10.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, 47 , , 4 , , 28.7 , , .439 , , .326 , , .775 , , 8.0 , , 2.3 , , .8 , , .3 , , 9.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, 41 , , 40 , , 33.5 , , .505 , , .323 , , .753 , , 7.8 , , 4.1 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , 13.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Portland , 13 , , 13 , , 32.1 , , .503 , , .373 , , .772 , , 5.4 , , 4.3 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , 19.9 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 296 , , 118 , , 27.3 , , .450 , , .347 , , .739 , , 5.7 , , 2.1 , , .9 , , .4 , , 9.9

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2013–14 , style="text-align:left;", Villanova , 34 , , 1 , , 21.4 , , .500 , , .313 , , .677 , , 4.4 , , .9 , , .6 , , .3 , , 7.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2014–15 , style="text-align:left;", Villanova , 36 , , 2 , , 25.5 , , .515 , , .464 , , .670 , , 4.5 , , 1.5 , , 1.1 , , .4 , , 10.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , style="text-align:left;", Villanova , 40 , , 39 , , 31.4 , , .513 , , .357 , , .752 , , 6.8 , , 1.9 , , 1.2 , , .3 , , 15.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;", Villanova , 36 , , 35 , , 33.1 , , .510 , , .404 , , .747 , , 6.4 , , 2.9 , , 1.6 , , .3 , , 18.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 146 , , 77 , , 28.0 , , .511 , , .389 , , .720 , , 5.6 , , 1.8 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , 13.2

Awards and honors

;College

20170213 Villanova-Depaul Josh Hart at the rim 2

* NCAA champion – (

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

) *

Big East Player of the Year The Big East Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year award is given to the men's basketball player in the Big East Conference voted as the top performer by the conference coaches. It was first awarded at the end of the league's inaugural sea ...

– (2017) * Julius Erving Award – (2017) * First-team All-American – SN (

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

) * Third-team All-American – (

) * First-team All-

– (2016, 2017) * Big East tournament MOP – ( 2015) * Big East Sixth Man of the Year – (2015) * Robert V. Geasey Trophy (2017)

Personal life

Hart plays video games, such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare on his

Twitch Twitch may refer to: Biology * Muscle contraction ** Convulsion, rapid and repeated muscle contraction and relaxation ** Fasciculation, a small, local, involuntary muscle contraction ** Myoclonic twitch, a jerk usually caused by sudden muscle co ...

channel. Hart is a fan of his hometown club

Washington Commanders The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) E ...

, and is also a fan of English Premier League football club

Chelsea F.C. Chelsea Football Club is an English professional football club based in Fulham, West London. Founded in 1905, they play their home games at Stamford Bridge. The club competes in the Premier League, the top division of English football ...

In October 2020, he donated $10,000 to the relief efforts for the Napa Valley wildfires. Hart is married to Shannon Phillips.

References

External links

Villanova Wildcats bio

ESPN profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hart, Josh 1995 births Living people 21st-century African-American sportspeople African-American basketball players All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Maryland Los Angeles Lakers players New Orleans Pelicans players People from Silver Spring, Maryland Portland Trail Blazers players Shooting guards South Bay Lakers players Sportspeople from Montgomery County, Maryland Twitch (service) streamers Utah Jazz draft picks Villanova Wildcats men's basketball players