Montrezl Harrell facts for kids
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Harrell with the Washington Wizards in 2022
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| No. 55 – Gigantes de Carolina | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Center / power forward | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | January 26, 1994 Tarboro, North Carolina, U.S. |
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| High school |
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| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 240 lb (109 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||||||||
| College | Louisville (2012–2015) | |||||||||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 2015 / Round: 2 / Pick: 32nd overall | |||||||||||||||||||
| Selected by the Houston Rockets | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 2015–present | |||||||||||||||||||
| League | Baloncesto Superior Nacional | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2017 | Houston Rockets | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | →Rio Grande Valley Vipers | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2020 | Los Angeles Clippers | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | Los Angeles Lakers | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | Washington Wizards | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | Charlotte Hornets | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Philadelphia 76ers | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2024–present | Adelaide 36ers | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2025 | Xinjiang Flying Tigers | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2025–present | Gigantes de Carolina | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Montrezl Harrell (born January 26, 1994) is an American professional basketball player. He currently plays for Gigantes de Carolina in Puerto Rico and is also signed with the Adelaide 36ers in Australia.
Montrezl played college basketball for the Louisville Cardinals. In 2015, he won the Karl Malone Award as the best power forward in the country. He was picked by the Houston Rockets in the 2015 NBA draft. Later, he joined the Los Angeles Clippers in 2017 and was named the NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 2020. After that, he played for the Los Angeles Lakers, Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets, and Philadelphia 76ers. He missed the entire 2023–24 season due to an injury.
Contents
- High School Basketball Journey
- College Basketball Highlights
- Professional Basketball Career
- Starting with the Houston Rockets (2015–2017)
- Time with the Los Angeles Clippers (2017–2020)
- Playing for the Los Angeles Lakers (2020–2021)
- Moving to the Washington Wizards (2021–2022)
- Short Stint with the Charlotte Hornets (2022)
- Joining the Philadelphia 76ers (2022–2023)
- Playing in Australia, China, and Puerto Rico (2024–Present)
- National Team Experience
- Personal Life
- Images for kids
- See also
High School Basketball Journey
Montrezl Harrell, who is 6 feet 7 inches tall, grew up in Tarboro, North Carolina. He was a star player at North Edgecombe High School. After that, he spent a year at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Virginia.
At Hargrave, he helped his team achieve an amazing 38 wins and only 1 loss. He averaged 25.2 points and 13.6 rebounds in each game. Montrezl first planned to play college basketball for Virginia Tech. However, after a coaching change, he chose to play for Louisville instead.
College Basketball Highlights
As a freshman, Montrezl was a backup player. He averaged 5.7 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. He played his best at the end of the season. He scored 20 points in the Cardinals' Big East Conference championship game. Montrezl helped the Cardinals win the 2013 NCAA championship. This championship was later officially removed from the records.
After his freshman year, Montrezl became a well-known player. Many people thought he would be one of the best players returning to college basketball. He was even named to a preseason All-America team. He and his teammate Russ Smith were both chosen for the American Athletic Conference's first team.
Montrezl decided to stay for his junior year instead of going to the NBA. In the 2014–15 season, he averaged 15.7 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. He won the first-ever Karl Malone Award, given to the best power forward in the nation. He was also named to the All-ACC second team.
Professional Basketball Career
Starting with the Houston Rockets (2015–2017)
On June 25, 2015, the Houston Rockets picked Montrezl Harrell in the NBA draft. He signed a three-year deal with the Rockets. He played his first NBA game on October 28, 2015. He scored 8 points and grabbed 3 rebounds.
Montrezl sometimes played for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. This team is the Rockets' minor league affiliate. On December 30, 2016, he scored a career-high 29 points against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Time with the Los Angeles Clippers (2017–2020)
In June 2017, Montrezl was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. He quickly became an important player for them. On July 24, 2018, he signed a new contract with the Clippers.
He kept improving his game. On October 26, 2018, he scored 30 points coming off the bench. He set a new career high with 32 points in February 2019. In November 2019, he scored 34 points twice in a month.
During the 2019–20 season, Montrezl had his best year. He averaged 18.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. He won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award. This award goes to the best player who usually comes off the bench. The Clippers made it to the playoffs but lost in the second round.
Playing for the Los Angeles Lakers (2020–2021)
On November 22, 2020, Montrezl signed with the Los Angeles Lakers. He made his Lakers debut in December, scoring 17 points. On March 15, 2021, he scored a season-high 27 points. The Lakers reached the playoffs but lost in the first round.
Moving to the Washington Wizards (2021–2022)
In August 2021, Montrezl was traded to the Washington Wizards. He played his first game for the Wizards on October 20, scoring 22 points. On December 1, he scored a season-high 27 points.
Short Stint with the Charlotte Hornets (2022)
On February 10, 2022, Montrezl was traded to his hometown team, the Charlotte Hornets. He played his first game for the Hornets the next day, scoring 15 points.
Joining the Philadelphia 76ers (2022–2023)
On September 13, 2022, Montrezl signed a two-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers. He played his first game for them on October 18.
In August 2023, Montrezl suffered a serious knee injury. He missed the entire 2023–24 NBA season while recovering.
Playing in Australia, China, and Puerto Rico (2024–Present)
Adelaide 36ers (2024–2025)
On September 12, 2024, Montrezl signed with the Adelaide 36ers in Australia. He joined them as a player replacing an injured teammate. In his first game on September 22, he had 13 points and 13 rebounds. On October 25, he had an amazing game with 36 points, 16 rebounds, and 5 blocks. He was named to the All-NBL Second Team for his great performance. He re-signed with the 36ers for the 2025–26 season in May 2025.
Xinjiang Flying Tigers (2025)
In March 2025, Montrezl signed with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers in China. He played 13 games for them to finish the 2024–25 season.
Gigantes de Carolina (2025–Present)
On May 15, 2025, Montrezl signed with Gigantes de Carolina in Puerto Rico for the rest of their 2025 season.
National Team Experience
In 2012, Montrezl was part of the United States team. They won a gold medal at the FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship in Brazil.
Personal Life
Montrezl is the son of Samuel and Selena Harrell. He has two younger brothers, Cadarius and Quatavius. His father added the silent "l" to his first name to make it special.
Montrezl has two children. He is good friends with football player Todd Gurley. They both went to high school in Tarboro.
Montrezl loves collecting and designing sneakers. He works with artists to create unique shoe designs. Since 2018, he has worn different shoes during the first and second halves of almost every basketball game.
In 2020, Montrezl left the NBA "bubble" (a special isolated area for games) to be with his grandmother. She passed away soon after. He missed some games because of this.
Images for kids
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Harrell with the Washington Wizards in 2022
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Harrell with Louisville in 2015
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Harrell shoots a free throw during a 2021 game
See also
In Spanish: Montrezl Harrell para niños
