Gary Harris
Harris with the Orlando Magic in 2022
No. 14 – Orlando Magic
PositionShooting guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1994-09-14) September 14, 1994 (age 29)
Fishers, Indiana, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High schoolHamilton Southeastern
(Fishers, Indiana)
CollegeMichigan State (2012–2014)
NBA draft2014: 1st round, 19th overall pick
Selected by the Chicago Bulls
Playing career2014–present
Career history
2014–2021Denver Nuggets
2021–presentOrlando Magic
Career highlights and awards
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at Basketball-Reference.com

Gary Harris (born September 14, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans.[1]

High school career

Harris attended Hamilton Southeastern High School in Fishers, Indiana. 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.[2]

In November 2011, Harris signed a National Letter of Intent to play college basketball for Michigan State University.[1]

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 1,540 points (16.7 ppg), 467 rebounds (5.1 rpg), 232 assists (2.5 apg) and 232 steals (2.5 spg).[2]

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).[2]

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.[2]

College career

Harris with Michigan State in 2013

As a freshman at Michigan State University in 2012–13, Harris was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, becoming the first Spartan 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.[2][3]

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.[2][3]

On April 14, 2014, Harris declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his final two years of college eligibility.[4]

Professional career

Denver Nuggets (2014–2021)

Harris with the Denver Nuggets in 2020

On June 26, 2014, Harris was selected with the 19th overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls. He was later traded to the Denver Nuggets on draft night along with Jusuf Nurkić (16th pick) and a second-round pick for Doug McDermott (11th pick) and Anthony Randolph.[5] 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.[6] 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. In 18 minutes of action, he recorded 13 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 block in a 108–87 win.[7] 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.[8]

In July 2015, Harris re-joined the Nuggets for the 2015 NBA Summer League.[9] On October 11, the Nuggets exercised their third-year team option on Harris's rookie-scale contract, extending the contract through the 2016–17 season.[10] 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.[11] Harris missed a string of six games between November 28 and December 8 due to a concussion he suffered against the San Antonio Spurs on November 27.[12] He returned to action on December 11 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, starting in his 17th game of the season and scoring 12 points in a 111–108 win.[13] In the following game on December 14, Harris scored a career-high 21 points in a 114–108 win over the Houston Rockets.[14] He tied that career high on December 22, scoring 21 points in a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.[15] Harris had another 21-point effort on March 4, 2016 in an overtime loss to the Brooklyn Nets.[16] In 2015–16, Harris was just one of seven players to average 12-plus points, shoot 47% from the field, 35% from three, and 81% from the free throw line.[17] 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.[18]

In July 2016, Harris re-joined the Nuggets for the 2016 NBA Summer League. On October 5, 2016, he was ruled out for four to six weeks with a partially torn right groin.[19] On October 21, the Nuggets exercised their fourth-year team option on Harris's rookie-scale contract, extending the contract through the 2017–18 season.[20] 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.[21] 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.[22] Four days later, he scored a career-high 24 points in a 117–107 win over the Dallas Mavericks.[23] On February 24, 2017, he set a new career high with 25 points in a 129–109 win over the Brooklyn Nets.[24] He bested that mark on March 8, 2017, scoring 26 points in a 123–113 loss to the Washington Wizards.[25] On March 20, 2017, he set a new career high with 28 points in a 125–124 loss to the Houston Rockets.[26]

On October 12, 2017, Harris signed a four-year, $84 million contract extension with the Nuggets.[27][28] On December 13, 2017, he scored a career-high 36 points in a 124–118 loss to the Boston Celtics.[29] On January 3, 2018, he scored 28 of his 36 points in the first half of the Nuggets' 134–111 win over the Phoenix Suns.[30] On February 1, 2018, he made the winning three-pointer at the buzzer and finished with 25 points to lift the Nuggets to a 127–124 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.[31] 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 Portland Trail Blazers.[32]

Harris missed 11 games in December due to a right hip injury,[33][34] and five games in January with hamstring tightness.[35] He later missed seven games with a right adductor strain.[36][37]

Orlando Magic (2021–present)

On March 25, 2021, Harris, R. J. Hampton and a future first-round pick were traded to the Orlando Magic in exchange for Aaron Gordon and Gary Clark.[38]

On June 30, 2022, Harris signed a two-year, $26 million contract extension with the Magic.[39] On August 27, Harris underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee.[40] 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 day before.[41]

NBA career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2014–15 Denver 55 6 13.1 .304 .204 .745 1.2 .5 .7 .1 3.4
2015–16 Denver 76 76 32.1 .469 .354 .820 2.9 1.9 1.3 .2 12.3
2016–17 Denver 57 56 31.3 .503 .420 .776 3.1 2.9 1.2 .1 14.9
2017–18 Denver 67 65 34.4 .485 .396 .827 2.6 2.9 1.8 .2 17.5
2018–19 Denver 57 48 28.8 .424 .339 .799 2.8 2.2 1.0 .3 12.9
2019–20 Denver 56 55 31.8 .420 .333 .815 2.9 2.1 1.4 .3 10.4
2020–21 Denver 19 19 30.6 .442 .320 .733 2.5 1.7 .9 .2 9.7
2020–21 Orlando 20 19 25.0 .365 .364 .875 1.6 2.3 .6 .4 10.2
2021–22 Orlando 61 30 28.4 .434 .384 .874 2.0 1.8 1.0 .1 11.1
2022–23 Orlando 48 42 24.7 .450 .431 .900 2.0 1.2 .9 .3 8.3
Career 516 416 28.4 .448 .370 .815 2.4 2.0 1.1 .2 11.5

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2019 Denver 14 14 37.0 .462 .351 .868 4.1 2.3 .9 .6 14.2
2020 Denver 14 12 27.1 .378 .365 .773 2.0 1.7 1.1 .3 7.4
Career 28 26 32.0 .431 .358 .833 3.1 2.0 1.0 .4 10.8

Awards and honors

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 in 2000.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b Telep, Dave (November 9, 2011). "Gary Harris commits to Michigan St". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 29, 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Gary Harris Bio". msuspartans.com. Archived from the original on February 8, 2018. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
  3. ^ a b "Gary Harris Stats". Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on June 28, 2014. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
  4. ^ "Michigan State Spartans' Star Sophomore Guard, Gary Harris, Declares for the NBA Draft". SportsMedia101.com. April 14, 2014. Archived from the original on June 21, 2014. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
  5. ^ "Nuggets get Gary Harris, Jusuf Nurkic in first round of 2014 NBA Draft". NBA.com. June 26, 2014. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
  6. ^ "Denver Nuggets Sign First-Round Picks Jusuf Nurkic and Gary Harris". NBA.com. July 31, 2014. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  7. ^ "Balanced Nuggets rout Pacers 108-87". NBA.com. November 14, 2014. Archived from the original on November 13, 2014. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  8. ^ "Gary Harris 2014-15 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
  9. ^ "Summer Nuggets: Gary Harris". NBA.com. July 20, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
  10. ^ "Nuggets Exercise Options on Harris and Nurkić". NBA.com. October 11, 2015. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  11. ^ "Gary Harris 2015-16 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  12. ^ "REPORT: Gary Harris set to make his return to the court". MileHighSports.com. December 10, 2015. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  13. ^ "Gallinari's 23 lead Nuggets past Timberwolves in OT, 111-108". NBA.com. December 11, 2015. Archived from the original on December 14, 2015. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  14. ^ "Nuggets survive shoe-toss technical, hold off Rockets". NBA.com. December 14, 2015. Archived from the original on February 27, 2016. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  15. ^ "Bryant scores 31 as Lakers beat Nuggets 111-107". NBA.com. December 22, 2015. Archived from the original on May 7, 2016. Retrieved December 23, 2015.
  16. ^ "Lopez tips in with 0.4 seconds left in OT, Nets beat Nuggets". NBA.com. March 4, 2016. Archived from the original on June 16, 2016. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
  17. ^ Huang, Jonathan (April 20, 2016). "Season Review: Gary Harris". NBA.com. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
  18. ^ Huang, Jonathan (June 7, 2016). "USA Basketball Names 2016 Men's Select Team". NBA.com. Archived from the original on June 11, 2016. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
  19. ^ Wojnarowski, Adrian (October 5, 2016). "Sources: Nuggets' Gary Harris to miss 4-to-6 weeks with groin injury". Yahoo.com. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  20. ^ "Nuggets Exercise Options on Harris, Nurkić and Mudiay". NBA.com. October 21, 2015. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
  21. ^ Herbert, James (November 15, 2015). "Nuggets' woes continue as Gary Harris will miss up to 4 weeks with foot injury". CBSSports.com. Retrieved November 16, 2015.
  22. ^ "Gallinari scores 27 as Nuggets beat Trail Blazers 132-120". ESPN.com. December 15, 2015. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  23. ^ "Jokic has near triple-double as Nuggets beat Mavs 117-107". ESPN.com. December 19, 2016. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
  24. ^ "Harris scores 25 points in Nuggets' 129-109 win over Nets". ESPN.com. February 24, 2017. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
  25. ^ "Nuggets Fall to Wizards, 123-113". NBA.com. March 8, 2017. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
  26. ^ "Harden hits layup with 2.4 seconds left to lift Rockets". ESPN.com. March 20, 2017. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
  27. ^ "Nuggets Sign Gary Harris to Contract Extension". NBA.com. October 12, 2017. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  28. ^ Wojnarowski, Adrian (October 7, 2017). "Sources: Nuggets, Gary Harris agree on 4-year, $84M extension". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  29. ^ "Irving's 33 lifts Celtics past Nuggets 124-118". ESPN.com. December 13, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  30. ^ "Gary Harris scores 36 points, Nuggets beat Suns 134-111". ESPN.com. January 3, 2018. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  31. ^ "Harris hits 3 at buzzer, Nuggets beat Thunder 127-124". ESPN.com. February 1, 2018. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  32. ^ "Nuggets beat Trail Blazers 88-82 for 6th straight win". ESPN.com. April 9, 2018. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  33. ^ Wojnarowski, Adrian (December 8, 2018). "Gary Harris expected to miss 3-4 weeks to rehab hip injury". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
  34. ^ "Jokic's triple-double helps Nuggets beat Knicks 115-108". ESPN.com. January 1, 2019. Retrieved January 18, 2019. They had Harris on the court after he missed 11 games with a hip injury.
  35. ^ "Murray, Jokic lead Nuggets to 135-105 rout of Bulls". ESPN.com. January 17, 2019. Retrieved January 18, 2019. Nuggets guard Gary Harris returned after missing five games with hamstring tightness and scored 14 points in nearly 19 minutes.
  36. ^ "Jokic's triple-double helps Nuggets beat Wolves 107-106". ESPN.com. February 2, 2019. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  37. ^ "Jokic helps Nuggets beat Mavs as Doncic sits with sore ankle". ESPN.com. February 22, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2019. G Gary Harris (groin injury) returned after missing seven games...
  38. ^ Brumbelow, Brooke (March 25, 2021). "Magic Acquire R.J. Hampton, Gary Harris and First Round Draft Pick From Nuggets". NBA.com.
  39. ^ "Magic sign Gary Harris to contract extension, re-signing Mo Bamba". NBC Sports. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  40. ^ "Magic guard Gary Harris has surgery to repair torn meniscus in left knee". NBA.com. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  41. ^ "NBA announces suspensions from Pistons-Magic game". NBA.com. December 29, 2022. Retrieved December 31, 2022.

External links

Orlando Magic roster
2014 NBA draft
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