Montrezl Harrell
Montrezl Harrell | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 26, 1994 Tarboro, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player |
| Years active | 2015–present |
| Known for | NBA Sixth Man of the Year (2020) |
Montrezl Dashay Harrell ( ; born January 26, 1994) is an American professional basketball athlete who most recently competed for the Gigantes de Carolina in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional. During his collegiate career, he represented the Louisville Cardinals, where he earned the Karl Malone Award in 2015 as a junior, distinguishing him as the premier power forward nationwide. Harrell was drafted in the second round of the 2015 NBA draft by the Houston Rockets.
In 2017, Harrell was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, where he secured the NBA Sixth Man of the Year accolade in 2020. Subsequently, he played three seasons across several teams including the Los Angeles Lakers, Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets, and Philadelphia 76ers. He was sidelined for the entire 2023–24 season due to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. For the 2024–25 season, Harrell signed with the Adelaide 36ers of Australia’s National Basketball League (NBL).
High school career
Standing at 6'7", Harrell, a power forward from Tarboro, North Carolina, excelled at North Edgecombe High School before spending a prep year at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Virginia. There, he led the team to an impressive 38–1 record while averaging 25.2 points and 13.6 rebounds per contest. Initially committed to coach Seth Greenberg at Virginia Tech, Harrell changed his commitment to Louisville following Greenberg’s dismissal.
College career
In his freshman season, Harrell served as a backup to power forward Chane Behanan, posting averages of 5.7 points and 3.6 rebounds over 16.2 minutes per game. He played a key role in Louisville’s capture of the 2013 NCAA championship, notably scoring 20 points during the Big East championship against Syracuse.
After Gorgui Dieng left for the NBA, Harrell became one of Louisville’s leading returning players. He received preseason third-team All-America honors from the Sporting News and earned first-team all-conference recognition alongside teammate Russ Smith in the newly formed American Athletic Conference. Although anticipated as a mid-to-late first-round selection in the 2014 NBA draft, he opted to continue his tenure at Louisville.
During his junior year, coinciding with Louisville's transition to the Atlantic Coast Conference, Harrell averaged 15.7 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. He was honored with the first-ever Karl Malone Award as the nation’s best power forward and was selected for the second-team All-ACC.
Houston Rockets (2015–2017)
On June 25, 2015, Harrell was chosen by the Houston Rockets with the 32nd overall pick in the second round of the 2015 NBA draft. He inked a three-year contract with Houston on September 19, 2015. Harrell made his NBA debut on October 28 in a season opener versus the Denver Nuggets, contributing eight points and three rebounds during a 105–85 defeat. Two days later, he tallied 17 points despite a loss to the Golden State Warriors. His first NBA start came on November 13 against Denver, where he scored five points in under thirteen minutes during a 107–98 loss. Throughout his rookie campaign, Harrell had multiple stints with Houston’s G-League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. On March 28, 2016, he was suspended without pay for five games by the NBA D-League after pushing an official.
On November 2, 2016, Harrell recorded a double-double off the bench with 17 points and ten rebounds in a commanding 118–99 victory over the New York Knicks. He earned his first start of that season on December 21 against the Phoenix Suns, matching his career high by scoring 17 points. On December 30, he surpassed that mark by posting a new personal best of 29 points during a dominant 140–116 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. Then on January 8, 2017, Harrell delivered an efficient performance off the bench with 28 points on an outstanding 12-of-13 shooting in a 129–122 triumph over the Toronto Raptors.
Los Angeles Clippers (2017–2020)
On June 28, 2017, the Los Angeles Clippers acquired Montrezl Harrell along with Patrick Beverley, Sam Dekker, and other assets from the Houston Rockets in a trade that sent Chris Paul to Houston. Harrell achieved a season-best 25 points on January 11, 2018, contributing to a victory over the Sacramento Kings.
Harrell secured a new contract with the Clippers on July 24, 2018, agreeing to a two-year deal worth $12 million. On October 26 of that year, he delivered a career-high 30 points off the bench during a win against the Houston Rockets. He matched this scoring output again on February 22, 2019, in a game versus the Memphis Grizzlies, before surpassing it with a personal best of 32 points three days later against the Dallas Mavericks.
On November 6, 2019, Harrell set a new career scoring record by posting 34 points along with 13 rebounds and five assists in a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. He replicated this 34-point performance on November 24 against the New Orleans Pelicans and once more on January 5, 2020, in a victory over the New York Knicks. Throughout the 2019–20 season, Harrell reached career averages of 18.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. His efforts earned him both the NBA Sixth Man of the Year and NBA Hustle Award distinctions.
Although the Clippers were eliminated in seven games during the second playoff round by the Denver Nuggets, Harrell led his team with a 20-point effort in Game 7. Across the postseason, he averaged 10.5 points and 2.9 rebounds per game.
Los Angeles Lakers (2020–2021)
On November 22, 2020, Harrell inked a two-year contract valued at $19 million with the Los Angeles Lakers. He made his Lakers debut on December 22, recording 17 points, 10 rebounds, and three assists in a 116–109 defeat to his former team, the Clippers. On March 15, 2021, he achieved a season-high of 27 points while adding five rebounds and three steals during a commanding 128–97 win over the Golden State Warriors. The Lakers exited the playoffs in six games after facing the Phoenix Suns in the opening round, with Harrell averaging just under ten minutes per contest.
Washington Wizards (2021–2022)
Harrell was traded to the Washington Wizards on August 6, 2021, as part of a multi-player deal involving Russell Westbrook. He made his Wizards debut on October 20 by scoring 22 points and grabbing nine rebounds in a 98–83 victory over the Toronto Raptors. On December 1, Harrell posted a season-best performance with 27 points alongside five rebounds and three assists during a win against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Charlotte Hornets (2022)
On February 10, 2022, Harrell was traded to his hometown squad, the Charlotte Hornets, in exchange for Ish Smith, Vernon Carey Jr., and a second-round pick in the 2023 draft. He debuted for Charlotte the following day by contributing 15 points and six rebounds in a decisive 141–119 triumph over the Detroit Pistons.
Philadelphia 76ers (2022–2023)
Harrell signed a two-year contract with the Philadelphia 76ers on September 13, 2022. His first appearance came on October 18 when he scored two points in a narrow loss to the Boston Celtics, finishing at 126–117. On June 21, 2023, he declined his $1.97 million player option to enter free agency but subsequently re-signed with Philadelphia on a one-year deal on July 18. Unfortunately, during training camp preparations on August 2, he sustained an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and was waived by the team on October 23. This injury sidelined him for the entire 2023–24 NBA season, though he participated in NBA minicamps ahead of the upcoming 2024–25 campaign.
Adelaide 36ers (2024–2025)
On September 12, 2024, Harrell joined the Adelaide 36ers competing in Australia's NBL, stepping in as an injury replacement for Jarell Martin. During his first game on September 22, he contributed 13 points and 13 rebounds in a 102–94 defeat to the Sydney Kings. By October 18, Harrell secured an extension to remain with the team through the remainder of the 2024–25 NBL season. On October 25, he delivered an impressive performance with 36 points, 16 rebounds, and five blocks, helping Adelaide achieve a 99–93 overtime victory against the Cairns Taipans. However, on November 25, he faced a three-game suspension and a $3,685 fine due to incidents occurring during a match versus Melbourne United. Concluding the season, Harrell earned a spot on the All-NBL Second Team, averaging 20.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.1 blocks over 28 contests.
On May 28, 2025, he recommitted to Adelaide for the upcoming 2025–26 NBL season, but was released on September 25 after testing positive for tetrahydrocannabinolic acid from a sample collected during his play in China earlier that year.
Xinjiang Flying Tigers (2025)
In February 2025, Harrell signed with the Zhejiang Golden Bulls of the Chinese Basketball Association, though he did not report by the anticipated date of February 22. Later, on March 13, he inked a deal with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers, taking over for Rob Edwards. Throughout the final 13 games of the 2024–25 Chinese Basketball Association season, Harrell averaged 11.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per outing. On June 25, the China Anti-Doping Agency revealed that a test conducted on April 15 detected carboxy THC in his sample.
Gigantes de Carolina (2025)
On May 15, 2025, Harrell signed with Gigantes de Carolina competing in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional to finish out the 2025 Baloncesto Superior Nacional season. In eight games played, he posted averages of 14.3 points, six rebounds, and 1.4 assists per contest.
National team career
Harrell was part of the United States squad that secured Gold at the FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship held in São Sebastião do Paraíso, Brazil in 2012.
Regular season
|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Houston | 39 || 1 || 9.7 || .644 || – || .522 || 1.7 || .4 || .3 || .3 || 3.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Houston | 58 || 14 || 18.3 || .652 || .143 || .628 || 3.8 || 1.1 || .3 || .7 || 9.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Clippers | 76 || 3 || 17.0 || .635 || .143 || .626 || 4.0 || 1.0 || .5 || .7 || 11.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Clippers | style="background:#cfecec;"| 82* || 5 || 26.3 || .615 || .176 || .643 || 6.5 || 2.0 || .9 || 1.3 || 16.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Clippers | 63 || 2 || 27.8 || .580 || .000 || .658 || 7.1 || 1.7 || .6 || 1.1 || 18.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 69 || 1 || 22.9 || .622 || .000 || .707 || 6.2 || 1.1 || .7 || .7 || 13.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Washington | 46 || 3 || 24.3 || .645 || .267 || .727||6.7|| 2.1|| .4|| .7||14.1 |- | style="text-align:left;" | | style="text-align:left;" | Charlotte |25||0||21.0||.645||.000||.692||4.9||2.0||.4||.5||11.4 |- | style="text-align:left;" | | style="text-align:left;" | Philadelphia |57||7||11.9||.598||.000||.693||2.8||0.6||0.3||0.4||5.6 |- class="sortbottom"
|style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career |515||36||20.5||.619||.108||.664||5.0||1.3||0..5||0..8||12..1
Playoffs
|- | style="text-align:left;" | 2016 NBA playoffs | style="text-align:left;" | 2015–16 Houston Rockets season |2||0||6.0||.333||.000||.500||1.0||0||0||0||1.5 |- | style="text-align:left;" | 2017 NBA playoffs | style="text-align:left;" | 2016–17 Houston Rockets season |5||0||4.2||.333||–||.500||1.2||0.4||0||0||1.0 |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- class="sortbottom"
|style="text-align:center;" colspan=2 |Career |32||0||15.0|| .613|| .143|| .631|||2..8|||0..6|||..3|||..3|||8..7
Personal life
Harrell is the son of Samuel and Selena Harrell and has two younger brothers, Cadarius and Quatavius. His father added the silent "l" to his first name to make it unique. Harrell has two children who live with their mother in Kentucky. He is close friends with football player Todd Gurley, a fellow Tarboro high school alumnus.
An avid sneaker collector and designer, Harrell collaborates with customizers via social media to create unique designs. Since the NBA relaxed shoe policies in 2018, he has worn different shoes during each half of games, enhancing his personal brand.
Harrell left the 2020 NBA Bubble at Walt Disney World for a family matter to tend to his grandmother, who passed away shortly after, causing him to miss two games.
On June 15, 2022, Harrell was charged with trafficking less than of marijuana, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison. The charge was downgraded to a misdemeanor in August 2022.