Tobias Harris
Tobias Harris | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 15, 1992 United States |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Known for | NBA player for Detroit Pistons, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Clippers, Orlando Magic, Milwaukee Bucks |
Tobias John Harris (born July 15, 1992) is a professional American basketball athlete currently playing for the Detroit Pistons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). After competing for one season with the Tennessee Volunteers, he declared for the 2011 NBA draft, where he was picked 19th overall by the Charlotte Bobcats before being traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. Throughout his career, Harris has also been a member of the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Clippers, and Philadelphia 76ers.
High school career
Harris began his high school basketball journey at Half Hollow Hills High School West, joining the varsity team as an eighth grader. For his junior year, he transferred to Long Island Lutheran Middle and High School in Brookville, New York, then returned to Half Hollow Hills West for his senior season. During his final year, he earned the prestigious 2010 Mr. New York Basketball title and was selected to participate in the McDonald's All-American. Over 66 games at Half Hollow Hills, he posted averages of 24.9 points, 2.0 assists, and 9.9 rebounds.
|- | colspan="7" style="padding-left:10px;" | Recruiting rankings overall: Rivals: No. 7, Scout: No. 4, ESPN: No. 6 |}
College career
During the 2010–11 season, Harris competed as a freshman for the Tennessee Volunteers under head coach Bruce Pearl. Functioning primarily as a point forward, he earned recognition as a USBWA Freshman All-America second-team member, was named second-team All-SEC by coaches, and secured a spot on the SEC All-Freshman Team. He averaged 15.3 points along with 7.3 rebounds each game, placing him among the leading freshmen across major conferences.
On May 9, 2011, Harris announced his intention to enter the NBA draft, opting to forgo his remaining college eligibility.
Milwaukee Bucks (2011–2013)
Harris was chosen 19th overall in the 2011 NBA draft by the Charlotte Bobcats, but was immediately traded on draft night to the Milwaukee Bucks. He inked his rookie contract on December 10, 2011, and made his NBA debut on January 7, 2012. Throughout his rookie campaign, he averaged 5.0 points and 2.4 rebounds across 42 appearances. In October 2012, the Bucks picked up their third-year option on his contract, extending it through the 2013–14 season.
Orlando Magic (2013–2016)
On February 21, 2013, Harris was traded to the Orlando Magic alongside Doron Lamb and Beno Udrih in exchange for JJ Redick, Gustavo Ayón, and Ish Smith. His minutes and production saw a substantial increase, more than tripling his scoring average. The Magic exercised their fourth-year option on his rookie deal in October 2013.
Key highlights included a personal best of 28 points paired with 20 rebounds on January 24, 2014, as well as a buzzer-beater dunk against Oklahoma City on February 7, 2014. He reached a career-high scoring mark of 31 points on March 2, 2014. Later, on February 6, 2015, Harris set another career high by scoring 34 points versus the Los Angeles Lakers.
On July 14, 2015, Harris agreed to a four-year contract worth $64 million to remain with Orlando.
Detroit Pistons (2016–2018)
Harris was traded to the Detroit Pistons on February 16, 2016, in exchange for Ersan İlyasova and Brandon Jennings. He made his debut three days later by contributing 21 points off the bench during a 98–86 defeat against the Washington Wizards. The Pistons concluded that season as the Eastern Conference’s eighth seed with a record of 44–38—marking their first playoff berth since 2009—though they were swept in four games by the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the opening round.
On December 23, 2016, Harris tallied a season-best of 26 points off the bench in a narrow loss to the Golden State Warriors, finishing at 119–113. He surpassed this output with a season-high of 28 points on March 11, 2017, leading Detroit to a decisive 112–92 victory over the New York Knicks.
On October 25, 2017, Harris equaled his personal record by scoring 34 points during a commanding win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, ending with a score of 122–101. His strong performances earned him Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors on November 13, 2017. Later that year on December 26, he scored an impressive total of 30 points—including an explosive first quarter output of 21—in a dominant win against the Indiana Pacers with a final score of 107–83.
Los Angeles Clippers (2018–2019)
On January 29, 2018, Harris was sent to the Los Angeles Clippers in a trade deal that included Avery Bradley, Boban Marjanović, a future protected first-round draft choice, and a second-round pick, with the Clippers sending Blake Griffin, Willie Reed, and Brice Johnson to the other team. He made his first appearance for the Clippers on February 3, contributing 24 points in a 113–103 victory over the Chicago Bulls. Later, on February 23, Harris tallied 30 points along with 12 rebounds during a 128–117 win against the Phoenix Suns.
During the 2018–19 campaign, Harris achieved a streak of scoring at least 15 points in 14 straight games. This run included an 18-point performance in a narrow 116–111 triumph over the San Antonio Spurs on November 15. On November 25, he delivered a standout game with 34 points and 11 rebounds in a 104–100 win versus the Portland Trail Blazers, earning him Western Conference Player of the Week honors for November 19–25—his second time receiving this accolade. Additionally, he was named Western Conference Player of the Month for October and November, marking his inaugural recognition in this category. Harris set a personal best by scoring 39 points on December 17 in a tight loss to Portland. On January 20, 2019, he came close to recording a triple-double with 27 points, nine boards, and nine assists during a 103–95 victory over the Spurs.
Philadelphia 76ers (2019–2024)
On February 6, 2019, Harris was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers along with Boban Marjanović and Mike Scott in exchange for Wilson Chandler, Mike Muscala, Landry Shamet, and future draft selections. He debuted for Philadelphia two days later, scoring 14 points and grabbing eight rebounds in a 117–110 win against the Denver Nuggets. The Sixers secured Harris’s services with a five-year contract worth $180 million on July 6, 2019.
Harris earned Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors on January 4, 2021. Shortly after, on January 6, he reached the milestone of scoring his 10,000th career point. On January 27, he clinched a game-winning jumper that sealed a tight 107–106 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
In Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs on April 16, 2022, Harris contributed significantly with 26 points and six assists as Philadelphia defeated the Toronto Raptors by a score of 131–111.
During Game 6 of the first round in the 2024 postseason on May 2, Harris was held scoreless as the New York Knicks eliminated the Sixers with a narrow 118–115 win. He averaged nine points per game throughout that series.
Return to Detroit (2024–present)
On July 8, 2024, Harris signed a two-year deal valued at $52 million to rejoin the Detroit Pistons.
In Game 1 of the first round of the NBA playoffs on April 19, 2025, Harris posted an impressive stat line including 25 points, six rebounds, and two blocks despite Detroit’s loss to the New York Knicks by a score of 123–112.
Regular season
|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Milwaukee | 42 || 9 || 11.4 || .467 || .261 || .815 || 2.4 || .5 || .3 || .2 || 5.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"rowspan=2 | | style="text-align:left;"|Milwaukee | 28 || 14 || 11.6 || .461 || .333 || .885 || 2.0 || .5 || .3 || .3 || 4.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"|Orlando | 27 || 20 || 36.1 || .453 || .310 || .721 || 8.5 || 2.1 || .9 || 1.4 || 17.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Orlando | 61 || 36 || 30.3 || .464 || .254 || .807 || 7.0 || 1.3 || .7 || .4 ||14.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Orlando |68||63||34.8||.466||.364||.788||6.3||1.8||1.0||.5||17.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"rowspan=2 | | style="text-align:left;"|Orlando |49||49||32.9||.464||.311||.784||7.0||2.0||1.0||.6||13.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"|Detroit |27||25||33.5||.477||.375|||'.911'||||6.2||||2.6||||0.7||||0.4|||16.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Detroit |style="background:#cfecec;" | 82* |48 |31.3 |.481 |.347 |.841 |5.1 |1.7 |0.7 |0.5 |16.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"rowspan=2 | | style="text-align:left;"|Detroit |48 |48 |32.6 |.451 |.409 |.846 |5..1 |2..0 |0..7 |0..3 |18..1 |- | style="text-align:left;"|L.A.Clippers |32 |32 |34..5 |..473 |..414 |..800 |6..0 |3..1 |1..2 |0..6 |19..3 |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- class=sortbottom >style=text-align:center colspan=2 Career >970 >850 >31..7 >478 >366 >836 >62 >24 >08 >06 >16..1
Playoffs
|- | style="text-align:left;"|2016 | style="text-align:left;"|Detroit | 4 || 4 || 39.0 || .457 || .333 || .923 || 9.5 || 3.0 || .8 || .8 || 14.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2019 | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 12 || 12 || 36.9 || .425 || .349 || .846 || 9.1 || 4.0 || 1.1 || .5 || 15.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2020 | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 4 || 4 || 37.1 || .383 || .133 || .789 || 9.5 || 4.0 || .5 || .3 || 15.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2021 | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 12 || 12 || 36.5 || .488 || .372 || .875 || 8.5 || 3.5 || 1.0 || .4 || 21.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2022 | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 12 || 12 || 38.8 || .500 || .386 || .864 || 7.6 || 2.9 || 1.1 || .8 || 16.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2023 | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 11 || 11 || 35.6 || .522 || .366 || .867 || 7.3 || 1.6 || .6 || .5 || 15.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2024 | style="text-align:left;"|Philadelphia | 6 || 6 || 36.4 || .431 || .333 || 1.000 || 7.2 || 1.5 || .2 || .5|| 9.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2025 | style="text-align:left;" |Detroit
|6||6||38.8||.479||.435||.000||7.7||.5||1.0||.2||15.7
|- class="sortbottom"
|style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career |67||67||37.2||.471||.357||.877||8.2||2.7||0.9||0.6||16.2
College
|-
|style="text-align:left;" |2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season |style="text-align:left;" |2010–11 Tennessee Volunteers men's basketball team |34||33||29.2||.460||.303||.753||7.3||1.3||0.7||0.9||15.3
Personal life
Harris was born in Islip, New York, the son of Lisa and Torrel, who played college basketball at Duquesne University and Murray State University. His first cousin is former NBA player and teammate Channing Frye, while his grandfather, John Mulzac, served as one of the Tuskegee Airmen.
He shares a strong bond with ex-NBA center Boban Marjanović, having been teammates in Detroit, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia between 2016 and 2019.[1] Harris dons the number 12 jersey as a tribute to Morgan Childs, a close friend and former teammate who passed away from leukemia at age seventeen.
In the year 2022, Harris wed his longtime partner Jasmine Winton.[2]
Philanthropy
Harris was honored with the NBA Community Service Award twice, in 2016 and again in 2021. He established the "Tobias Harris School of Mentoring Program" and partnered with the Yes We Can Community Center as well as UAS Inc to support athletes and their families in navigating recruitment and scholarship opportunities. Additionally, he contributed $10,000 to Feeding Children Everywhere, an organization dedicated to combating child hunger.
He initiated the Tobias Lit Labs initiative, aimed at connecting books and authors with local families and educational institutions, collaborating with Read by 4th for a community block party in North Philadelphia. Through his Tobias Harris Charitable Fund, he has invested more than $2 million toward providing classroom resources and enhancing teacher development. Furthermore, Harris donated $10,000 to the Kappa Alpha Psi Foundation to fund scholarships and community outreach programs, alongside a $1 million contribution distributed among nine charitable organizations in the Philadelphia region.
Spirituality
Harris openly embraces his Christian faith and frequently speaks about its significance in his life. In 2015, he shared that his objective is to demonstrate love and live according to the example set by Jesus Christ.
Endorsements
Harris maintains endorsement deals with prominent brands including Nike, Off-White Damari Savile, and Ovadia & Sons, among others.