Aaron Harrison
Aaron Harrison | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 28, 1994 United States |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player |
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Known for | Collegiate basketball at University of Kentucky; professional career including Charlotte Hornets, Dallas Mavericks, Galatasaray, Olympiacos, Türk Telekom, Cedevita Olimpija, Kaohsiung Steelers, Capitanes de Arecibo, Indios de Mayagüez, FC Porto, Diablos Rojos del México |
Aaron Malik Harrison (born October 28, 1994) is a professional basketball athlete from the United States currently competing for Diablos Rojos del México in the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP). Recognized as a leading high school recruit in 2013, he played collegiate basketball at the University of Kentucky alongside his twin brother, Andrew.
Harrison showcased his talents in the distinguished 2013 Jordan Brand Classic and participated in the 2013 McDonald's All-American Boys Game, affirming his status as one of the premier prospects.
High school career
Ranked among the top five players in the 2013 recruiting class with peers such as Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, Julius Randle, and his twin Andrew, Harrison demonstrated exceptional skill. On March 9, 2013, he and his brother led the Fort Bend Travis Tigers to a 46–38 triumph over South Grand Prairie, capturing the Texas Class 5A state championship at the University of Texas at Austin. After having fallen short in the previous year's final, their team achieved a #16 ranking in ESPN’s concluding 25 Power Rankings. Additionally, Harrison was honored with the 2013 Guy V. Lewis Award.
College career
During the 2013–14 season at Kentucky, Harrison started all 40 games as a shooting guard, averaging 13.7 points per game while shooting 42.3% overall, including 35.6% from beyond the arc and 79% from the free-throw line. He reached a personal best of 28 points against Robert Morris on November 17, 2013, where he converted all ten free throws attempted. Crucially, Harrison made decisive three-point shots that secured victories in both the regional finals against Michigan and the semifinals versus Wisconsin during the 2014 NCAA tournament, playing a vital role in Kentucky’s extended postseason run.
On April 25, 2014, both Aaron and Andrew Harrison announced their decision to return to Kentucky for their sophomore year rather than enter the NBA draft. Prior to the start of the 2014–15 campaign, Aaron was recognized as the preseason SEC Player of the Year.
Harrison declared for the NBA draft on April 9, 2015, opting to forgo any remaining college eligibility. He entered the draft alongside his twin brother Andrew and several Kentucky teammates including Karl-Anthony Towns, Willie Cauley-Stein, Trey Lyles, Devin Booker, and Dakari Johnson.
Charlotte Hornets (2015–2017)
Although undrafted in the 2015 NBA draft, Harrison joined the Charlotte Hornets for their 2015 NBA Summer League roster. On July 14, 2015, he officially signed with Charlotte. He made his NBA debut on November 20, 2015, contributing one rebound in two minutes during a game against the Philadelphia 76ers. In the final regular-season game on April 13, 2016, Harrison achieved season highs with six points and five rebounds in a 117–103 victory over the Orlando Magic. Throughout his rookie year, he was assigned multiple times to NBA Development League teams—the Oklahoma City Blue and Erie BayHawks—utilizing the league’s flexible assignment mechanism.
In the opening months of the 2016–17 season, Harrison primarily competed in the D-League with Charlotte’s affiliate team, the Greensboro Swarm. He was released by the Hornets on January 3, 2017.
Greensboro Swarm (2017)
Harrison was acquired by the Greensboro Swarm on January 15, 2017. He made his first appearance that same day during a 105–95 defeat against the Iowa Energy, recording four points, four rebounds, and two assists over 17 minutes coming off the bench.
Delaware 87ers (2017)
On February 3, 2017, Harrison was traded to the Delaware 87ers in exchange for Cat Barber and the returning player rights to Sam Thompson.
Reno Bighorns (2017–2018)
Harrison, along with draft selections, was traded to the Reno Bighorns on November 3, 2017. In return, the team received returning player rights to Kendall Marshall and Youssou Ndoye, plus a draft pick.
Dallas Mavericks (2018)
Harrison signed a 10-day contract with the Dallas Mavericks on March 22, 2018. After participating in four games, he earned a contract for the remainder of that season. However, the Mavericks chose not to extend a qualifying offer following the season's conclusion.
Galatasaray (2018–2020)
On September 5, 2018, Harrison agreed to terms with Galatasaray, competing in Turkey’s Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL) and the EuroCup. He extended his contract for an additional one-plus-one season on August 7, 2019. During the 2019–20 campaign, he posted averages of 12.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.8 steals per game.
Olympiacos (2020–2021)
Harrison signed a two-year contract with Greek powerhouse Olympiacos on July 8, 2020, joining their roster for competition in the EuroLeague.
Türk Telekom (2021–2022)
On July 16, 2021, Harrison became part of Turkish club Türk Telekom, participating in the Basketball Super League and making their debut in the EuroCup.
Cedevita Olimpija (2022)
Harrison joined Slovenian team Cedevita Olimpija on September 15, 2022, competing in the Premier A Slovenian Basketball League.
Kaohsiung Steelers (2022–2023)
He signed with Taiwan’s Kaohsiung Steelers of the P. League+ on December 3, 2022. His contract was terminated on February 6, 2023.
Puerto Rican League (2023)
On January 24, 2023, Harrison signed with Capitanes de Arecibo in Puerto Rico’s Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). He was replaced by Thomas Robinson on April 27 and subsequently inked a deal with Indios de Mayagüez on April 30 to complete the remainder of the season.
FC Porto (2023–2024)
Harrison joined FC Porto of the Liga Portuguesa de Basquetebol (LPB) on October 12, 2023.
Diablos Rojos del México (2024–present)
On September 14, 2024, Harrison signed with Diablos Rojos del México, competing in Mexico’s Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP).
Regular season
|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Charlotte | 21 || 0 || 4.4 || .263 || .300 || .417 || .7 || .1 || .3 || .0 || .9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Charlotte | 5 || 0 || 3.4 || .000 || .000 || .500 || .6 || .6 || .0 || .0 || .2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Dallas | 9 || 3 || 25.9 || .275 || .209 || .765 || 2.7 || 1.2 || 1.0 || .2 || 6.7 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 35 || 3 || 9.8 || .261 || .218 || .613 || 1.2 || .5 || .4 || .1 || 2.3
Playoff Performance
|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2016 | style="text-align:left;"| Charlotte | 2 || 0 || 3.5 || .000 || .000 || .000 || 0.5 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Overall | 2 || 0 || 3.5 || .000 || .000 || .000 || 0.5 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 0.0