After 10 seasons in the NBA, sharpshooting wing Joe Harris has retired from basketball at 32 years old, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
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 is best known for his tenure with the Brooklyn Nets. In seven seasons with the Nets, he averaged 11.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game. Additionally, he shot 48.3% from the field and 44% from the three-point line with the Nets.
The Virginia alum is a two-time 3FG% leader. During the 2018-19 season, he shot 47.4% from beyond the arc. Furthermore, during the 2020-21 season, he shot 47.5% from the three-point line.
Harris also spent time with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons. Interestingly, Harris was on the 2015-16 Cavaliers championship team. However, he only appeared in five games for the team and is not credited with a ring on Basketball Reference.
Former Brooklyn Nets Sharpshooter Retires After 10 Years
The Writing Was on the Wall for Joe Harris
Although he was one of the NBA’s best three-point shooters in the league for a long time, Harris’ last few seasons in the NBA were rough. Last season, he played just 16 games for the Pistons. In those games, he averaged 2.4 points on 35.9% from the field. This includes a 33.3% mark from behind the line. The Pistons waived Harris in February, and he never joined another team after.
In March 2023, Harris spoke about his career up to that point. Speaking with Andrew Crane of the New York Post, Harris acknowledged that he knew his time in the league was on its last legs.
“You get used to playing a certain way for sure, but Mother Time is undefeated,” Harris told The Post on Wednesday. “And it’s like I’m not getting any younger. I’m not getting more athletic, more nimble. I obviously have certain skillsets that allow me to play, but there’s a lot of other factors that go into it.”
Additionally, Harris spoke about the physical toll of playing in the NBA. He also mentioned that recovering from an injury became much more difficult the older he got.
“Especially when you’re younger, you’re able to bounce back from different stuff a lot easier,” Harris said. “Now for me, I know I’m not as old as some guys in the league, but if something happens to me in the game where maybe I tweak my back or something happens to one of my knees, to me it feels like it takes a little bit longer in that recovery process.”
The Last Word on Joe Harris
When Harris got hot, he was truly one of the deadliest shooters in the league. However, his role had drastically decreased over the last few years, making his retirement feel inevitable. Regardless, Harris was a fun role player to watch in his prime.
