Josh Hart facts for kids
.jpg)
Hart in 2022
|
|
| No. 3 – New York Knicks | |
|---|---|
| Small forward / shooting guard | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | March 6, 1995 Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S. |
| High school |
|
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 215 lb (98 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Villanova (2013–2017) |
| NBA Draft | 2017 / Round: 1 / Pick: 30th overall |
| Selected by the Utah Jazz | |
| Pro career | 2017–present |
| League | NBA |
| Career history | |
| 2017–2019 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 2017-2018 | →South Bay Lakers |
| 2019–2022 | New Orleans Pelicans |
| 2022–2023 | Portland Trail Blazers |
| 2023–present | New York Knicks |
| Career highlights and awards | |
|
|
Joshua Aaron Hart (born March 6, 1995) is an American professional basketball player. He plays for the New York Knicks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Josh holds a special record for the Knicks: he has the most triple-doubles in a single season for the team.
Josh played college basketball for Villanova. He was named the most outstanding player in the Big East men's basketball tournament as a sophomore. As a junior, he helped his team win a national championship in 2016. In his senior year (2017), he was recognized as a top college player across the country. After college, he played for the Los Angeles Lakers and then the New Orleans Pelicans. He later joined the Portland Trail Blazers before moving to the New York Knicks in 2023.
Contents
Early Life and School
Josh Hart was born on March 6, 1995, in Silver Spring, Maryland. He has two siblings. From a young age, Josh loved basketball and was known for playing with lots of energy.
He first went to Wheaton High School before transferring to Sidwell Friends School. In his junior year, he averaged 20.6 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. Even though he was a great player, he almost got kicked out of school because of his grades. Luckily, some students and parents helped him get a second chance. In his senior year, he averaged 24.3 points, 13.4 rebounds, and 2.8 steals per game. He was a top player in the Washington, D.C. area.
In November 2012, Josh decided to play college basketball for Villanova. He said he wanted to do whatever his coaches needed, like getting rebounds or diving for loose balls, to help his team win. Josh also became an Eagle Scout in 2013, which is the highest rank in Scouting BSA.
College Basketball Journey
Freshman Year (2013–2014)
As a freshman at Villanova, Josh was named to the Big East All-Rookie Team. He averaged 7.8 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. He was named Big East Rookie of the Week three times. In one game, he scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. He also scored a season-high 19 points against Rider.
Sophomore Year (2014–2015)
Josh continued to improve in his second year. He scored 20 points in a big win against Temple and 21 points against Syracuse. He was named the Big East Conference Men's Basketball Sixth Man of the Year in 2015. This award goes to the best player who usually comes off the bench. His coach, Jay Wright, said Josh was the "perfect sixth man" because he could play almost any position.
Josh was also named the most outstanding player of the 2015 Big East men's basketball tournament. He was the first player coming off the bench to win this award. He led the tournament in scoring with 17.7 points per game. He also got much better at shooting three-pointers.
Junior Year (2015–2016)
In his junior year, Josh's team, the Villanova Wildcats, was expected to be the best in their conference. He scored a career-high 27 points against Akron. On January 2, 2016, he scored 25 points in a win over Creighton. Josh helped the Wildcats reach the number one spot in the national rankings.
He was chosen as a first-team All-Big East player. He was also named a third-team All-American. This means he was one of the best college players in the country. Josh then helped Villanova win their second national championship in school history in 2016. He scored 23 points in the Final Four game and 12 points in the championship game. He averaged 15.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game that season.
Senior Year (2016–2017)
Before his senior season, Josh was named the Preseason Player of the Year for the Big East. He was also on the preseason All-America team. In November, he scored a new career-high of 30 points against Wake Forest. On December 10, he scored an amazing 37 points, along with 11 rebounds and four assists, in a win over Notre Dame. This helped Villanova start the season with a 10-0 record.
On March 11, 2017, Josh scored 29 points in a win against Creighton. His college career ended in the NCAA tournament when Villanova lost to Wisconsin. On January 19, 2022, Villanova honored Josh by retiring his number 3 jersey. This means no other Villanova player will wear that number again.
Professional Basketball Career
Los Angeles Lakers (2017–2019)
Josh Hart was picked by the Utah Jazz in the first round of the 2017 NBA draft. He was the 30th player chosen overall. Soon after, he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. In his first game as a starter on December 14, 2017, he scored 11 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
He broke his left hand in February 2018 and missed some games. In his last game as a rookie, Josh scored a career-high 30 points against the Los Angeles Clippers. He finished his first season averaging 7.9 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. He also led the team in three-point shooting percentage. In 2018, he was named the MVP of the NBA Summer League. He later had surgery on his right knee in March 2019 and missed the rest of that season.
New Orleans Pelicans (2019–2022)
On July 6, 2019, Josh was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans as part of a big trade for star player Anthony Davis. He played three seasons with the Pelicans. On February 16, 2021, he scored a season-high 27 points against the Memphis Grizzlies. On November 13, 2021, he had a career-high 11 assists in a win over the Grizzlies.
Portland Trail Blazers (2022–2023)
On February 8, 2022, Josh was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers. On March 12, he had an amazing game, scoring a career-high 44 points, along with 8 rebounds and 6 assists, in a win over the Washington Wizards. On November 7, 2022, he made a game-winning three-pointer at the last second against the Miami Heat.
New York Knicks (2023–Present)
.png)
On February 8, 2023, Josh was traded to the New York Knicks. He made his Knicks debut on February 11, scoring 11 points and grabbing 7 rebounds in a win. On April 16, he played in his first career playoff game, scoring 17 points and getting 10 rebounds.
On August 10, 2023, Josh signed a new contract with the Knicks. On January 30, 2024, he recorded his first career triple-double (scoring at least 10 in three different stats) with 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. He had another triple-double on February 8, 2024. On February 26, he made a game-winning shot against the Detroit Pistons. On March 18, 2024, he played the entire 48-minute game against the Golden State Warriors, which is a rare feat for a Knicks player.
Josh continued to make history for the Knicks. On December 30, 2024, he had a triple-double with 23 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists. In the very next game on January 1, 2025, he had another triple-double. This made him only the fifth player in Knicks history to have back-to-back triple-doubles. On March 25, 2025, Josh recorded his ninth triple-double of the season, setting a new franchise record for the most triple-doubles in one season.
On May 12, 2025, Josh was given the NBA's "minutes leader" award for the 2024-25 season, meaning he played more minutes per game than anyone else. In the playoffs, he recorded his third playoff triple-double in franchise history, helping the Knicks win a game against the defending champion Boston Celtics.
Playing for Team USA
Josh Hart was part of the United States national team that played in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. He led the team in rebounding during that tournament, grabbing 5.3 rebounds per game. Team USA finished in fourth place.
Awards and Honors
- College
- Eagle Scout (2013)
- NCAA champion (2016)
- Big East Player of the Year (2017)
- Julius Erving Award (2017)
- First-team All-American (2017)
- Third-team All-American (2016)
- First-team All-Big East (2016, 2017)
- Big East tournament MOP (2015)
- Big East Sixth Man of the Year (2015)
About Josh's Life
Josh enjoys playing video games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare on his Twitch channel. He is also famous for his love of candy, especially Mike and Ike. He reportedly eats a lot of candy before games. Once, he even traded his autograph for two boxes of Mike and Ike! During the 2024 playoffs, the Mike and Ike company sent him many boxes of a special "Josh Hart 3 Point Mix."
He is a fan of his hometown American football team, the Washington Commanders. He also supports the English Premier League football club Chelsea F.C..
In October 2020, Josh donated $10,000 to help with the relief efforts for the Napa Valley wildfires. Josh is married to Shannon Phillips. They welcomed twin boys in May 2023. His grand-uncle was Elston Howard, a famous player for the New York Yankees baseball team.
See also
In Spanish: Josh Hart para niños
- List of NBA annual minutes leaders
