Joe Harris was one of the great development stories of the NBA. Relatively unheralded out of Virginia (he was a second-round pick with questions about his athleticism), he was traded by the Cavaliers and waived by the Magic during his second season in the NBA. However, with the Brooklyn Nets, after that, he grew into one of the best pure shooters in the game — someone who beat Stephen Curry in an All-Star Saturday 3-Point Contest.
Harris has decided to retire from basketball, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
After 10 NBA seasons, Joe Harris has retired from basketball. Harris played 504 NBA games for the Nets, Cavaliers and Pistons. He was a career 43.6 percent three-point shooter and won the Three-Point Contest at 2019 All-Star weekend. pic.twitter.com/2eLPJAhLzU
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 15, 2024
Harris signed with Brooklyn in 2016 when GM Sean Marks and coach Kenny Atkinson were working on rebuilding a struggling franchise. Within a couple of years under Atkinson, Harris had developed into one of the best and most feared shooters in the NBA. At his peak, from 2018-2021, Harris averaged at least 13.7 points a game and, more importantly, shot 45.8% from 3, twice leading the league in 3-point percentage. In 201,9 at the All-Star Game, Harris won the 3-Point Contest.
Things came apart early in the 2021-22 season when Harris suffered a major ankle injury, he never moved or shot as well after that. The Nets eventually traded him to Detroit before last season in a salary dump move.
Over a 10-year career, Harris averaged 10.3 points a game and shot 43.6% from 3, which remains the fifth-best percentage in the league.
