# Joe Harris (basketball)
**Joe Harris** (born 1991) is an American former professional basketball player, a 6-foot-6-inch (1.98 m), 220-pound guard-forward who played ten NBA seasons and built his career as one of the league's most accurate three-point shooters, twice leading the NBA in three-point field goal percentage.[1](https://www.nba.com/player/203925/joe_harris) • [2](https://www.nba.com/nets/news/feature/2020/02/24/bkqa-joe-harris)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1991, USA[1](https://www.nba.com/player/203925/joe_harris) |
| Size and position | 6'6" (1.98 m), 220 lb (100 kg); guard-forward[1](https://www.nba.com/player/203925/joe_harris) |
| Draft | 2014 NBA Draft, second round, 33rd overall, by the Cleveland Cavaliers[3](https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/joe-harris--1.html) |
| NBA teams | Cavaliers 2014-15 to 2015-16, Nets 2016-17 to 2022-23, Pistons 2022-23 to 2023-24[4](https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/what-teams-did-joe-harris-play-for) |
| Career averages | 10.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists per game over 10 seasons[1](https://www.nba.com/player/203925/joe_harris) |
| Shooting peak | Led the NBA at 47.4 percent from three in 2018-19; won the 2019 3-Point Contest[2](https://www.nba.com/nets/news/feature/2020/02/24/bkqa-joe-harris) |
| College | Four years at Virginia; 263 career three-pointers on .407 shooting, both second in school history at the time[5](https://www.nba.com/nets/news/2016/07/19/brooklyn-nets-sign-joe-harris) |
| Career earnings | At least $92,234,674 in professional salary[6](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/harrijo01.html) |
## College career at Virginia
Harris spent four seasons (2010-2014) at the [University of Virginia](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-virginia) under coach [Tony Bennett](https://www.edgepedia.org/tony-bennett), whose defensive-oriented system produced numerous future NBA players, including [Malcolm Brogdon](https://www.edgepedia.org/malcolm-brogdon), DeAndre Hunter, and Ty Jerome.[7](https://apnews.com/article/3f35191638505430b0889202e11027de) He finished his collegiate career second in school history in both three-pointers made (263) and three-point percentage (.407).[5](https://www.nba.com/nets/news/2016/07/19/brooklyn-nets-sign-joe-harris) As a senior in 2013-14 he was named to the preseason Oscar Robertson Watch List, honoring the nation's NCAA Division I Player of the Year, and ranked second all-time at Virginia in career three-point percentage at 40.9 percent, behind only Keith Friel's 42.1 percent.[8](https://utsports.com/documents/download/2013/12/28/release_20131228aaa_va.pdf)
## Cavaliers, injury, and release
Cleveland selected Harris 33rd overall in the 2014 draft and signed him to a partially guaranteed three-year contract on July 22, 2014, worth $884,879 in the first season and the minimum salary in the final two years.[9](https://www.shamsports.com/players/joe-harris) He appeared in 56 games across two seasons with the Cavaliers, averaging 2.5 points in 9.1 minutes per game.[5](https://www.nba.com/nets/news/2016/07/19/brooklyn-nets-sign-joe-harris)
**A single day ended his first stint.** On January 12, 2016, Harris had surgery on his right foot, was traded to Orlando, and was waived by the Magic, in what one writer called one of the worst days a player could have; [Cleveland](https://www.edgepedia.org/cleveland) won the NBA championship that June without him.[10](https://www.theringer.com/2019/04/02/nba/podium-guys-joe-harris-brooklyn-nets)
## Brooklyn years and shooting peak
The Nets signed Harris in July 2016, and he rose with the franchise each season, from a rotation player on the NBA's worst team in 2016-17 to the league's best three-point shooter on a playoff team in 2018-19.[10](https://www.theringer.com/2019/04/02/nba/podium-guys-joe-harris-brooklyn-nets) In 2018-19 he led the NBA by shooting 47.4 percent from three-point range, won the 3-Point Contest at NBA All-Star Weekend, and earned a spot on Team USA for the World Cup that fall.[2](https://www.nba.com/nets/news/feature/2020/02/24/bkqa-joe-harris) In the contest he scored 51 points under the format introduced in 2015, a record, and became the first Net to win the event.[10](https://www.theringer.com/2019/04/02/nba/podium-guys-joe-harris-brooklyn-nets) That season he shot 47.5 percent from deep overall and 47.7 percent on catch-and-shoot threes, the best mark among players with at least 150 such attempts.[10](https://www.theringer.com/2019/04/02/nba/podium-guys-joe-harris-brooklyn-nets)
His efficiency held as his role grew. In 2019-20 he hit 48.1 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes, the best of the 102 players who attempted at least 200 of them.[11](https://www.theringer.com/2020/08/05/nba/nba-three-point-shooting-one-dribble) In 2020-21, playing alongside [Kevin Durant](https://www.edgepedia.org/kevin-durant), James Harden, and [Kyrie Irving](https://www.edgepedia.org/kyrie-irving) in Brooklyn, he shot 50.0 percent on above-the-break threes, leading the 55 players with at least 75 such attempts by a wide margin over second-place [Jayson Tatum](https://www.edgepedia.org/jayson-tatum) at 46.8 percent, while also making 46.2 percent of his corner threes; his Total Shot Value Added of 54.61 placed first in that survey of the league's best shooters.[12](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2929320-spotlighting-the-nbas-best-shooters) Over the three seasons ending in 2020-21, no NBA player shot better from three-point territory than Harris.[13](https://www.netsdaily.com/2021/7/20/22585069/does-joe-harris-have-something-to-prove)
His final Brooklyn season, 2022-23, was reduced by injury: he played 74 games but only 20.6 minutes per game, scoring 7.6 points on 42.6 percent shooting from three on 4.5 attempts per game.[1](https://www.nba.com/player/203925/joe_harris)
## Detroit and later career
Harris moved to the [Detroit Pistons](https://www.edgepedia.org/detroit-pistons) for the second half of the 2022-23 season and stayed through 2023-24, listed as a key addition for Detroit's 2023-24 roster alongside Monte Morris and rookie [Ausar Thompson](https://www.edgepedia.org/ausar-thompson).[4](https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/what-teams-did-joe-harris-play-for) • [14](https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2023/10/24/guide-2023-2024-nba-central-division) His NBA.com profile credits him with 10 years of experience and career averages of 10.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game.[1](https://www.nba.com/player/203925/joe_harris) Basketball-[Reference](https://www.edgepedia.org/reference) records his career professional earnings as at least $92,234,674.[6](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/harrijo01.html)
## Playing style
Harris's value came almost entirely from three-point shooting rather than athleticism or ballhandling, which he acknowledged himself: "It's not like I'm wowing people with my athleticism or my ballhandling ability."[10](https://www.theringer.com/2019/04/02/nba/podium-guys-joe-harris-brooklyn-nets) His movement around screens opened the floor for Brooklyn's ball handlers, and he also averaged seven drives per game in 2018-19, more than a pure stationary specialist would.[10](https://www.theringer.com/2019/04/02/nba/podium-guys-joe-harris-brooklyn-nets) As defenses grew more aggressive in running shooters off the line, he added the one-dribble three, taking a single dribble to reset his feet behind the arc when a catch-and-shoot look was unavailable; he described the adjustment plainly: "If I don't have space initially, off of some sort of screening action, then I utilize one dribble."[11](https://www.theringer.com/2020/08/05/nba/nba-three-point-shooting-one-dribble) In a GQ interview he placed himself closer to [Klay Thompson](https://www.edgepedia.org/klay-thompson) than to a corner-only specialist like [Steve Novak](https://www.edgepedia.org/steve-novak) on the shooter versatility spectrum, and noted that only a small group of players, including [Kyle Korver](https://www.edgepedia.org/kyle-korver) and Steve Kerr, had ever shot over 50 percent from three for a season.[15](https://www.gq.com/story/joe-harris-interview)
## References
1. [Joe Harris profile, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/player/203925/joe_harris)
2. [BKQ&A: Joe Harris, Brooklyn Nets](https://www.nba.com/nets/news/feature/2020/02/24/bkqa-joe-harris)
3. [Joe Harris college stats, Sports-Reference](https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/joe-harris--1.html)
4. [What teams did Joe Harris play for, StatMuse](https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/what-teams-did-joe-harris-play-for)
5. [Brooklyn Nets Sign Joe Harris, Brooklyn Nets](https://www.nba.com/nets/news/2016/07/19/brooklyn-nets-sign-joe-harris)
6. [Joe Harris Stats, Basketball-Reference](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/harrijo01.html)
7. [Virginia basketball coach Tony Bennett is retiring, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/3f35191638505430b0889202e11027de)
8. [2013-14 Virginia Men's Basketball Notes](https://utsports.com/documents/download/2013/12/28/release_20131228aaa_va.pdf)
9. [Joe Harris contract history, ShamSports](https://www.shamsports.com/players/joe-harris)
10. [Podium Guys: Can Joe Harris Shoot the Nets Into the Playoffs and Beyond?, The Ringer](https://www.theringer.com/2019/04/02/nba/podium-guys-joe-harris-brooklyn-nets)
11. [The Rise of the One-Dribble 3-Pointer, The Ringer](https://www.theringer.com/2020/08/05/nba/nba-three-point-shooting-one-dribble)
12. [Spotlighting the NBA's Best Shooters, Bleacher Report](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2929320-spotlighting-the-nbas-best-shooters)
13. [Does Joe Harris have something to prove?, NetsDaily](https://www.netsdaily.com/2021/7/20/22585069/does-joe-harris-have-something-to-prove)
14. [Your guide to the 2023-24 NBA Central Division, Axios](https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2023/10/24/guide-2023-2024-nba-central-division)
15. [Joe Harris Isn't Looking at His Stats, GQ](https://www.gq.com/story/joe-harris-interview)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Basketball and court team sports › Basketball players and coaches (biographies) › NBA players, 2011–2018 › NBA forwards, 2011–2018*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license