Joe Harris, who spent four seasons at Virginia from 2011-2014, officially retired from professional basketball Thursday after spending a decade in the NBA with three franchises, most memorably his tenure with the Brooklyn Nets. Harris is one of the most successful alumni in Coach Tony Bennett’s career at Virginia, having played in 504 career NBA games and securing a victory in the 2019 NBA All-Star weekend three-point shooting contest over Stephen Curry. Harris generated $92 million in career earnings and is known as one of the best shooters in recent NBA history.
Harris grew up in Chelan, Wash. — a small town away from the eye of prominent college basketball programs. Bennett believed in Harris’ abilities, though, and offered him a spot at Washington State. Harris committed to Bennett’s program, then followed the coach to Charlottesville when he moved to the University. The epitome of a Bennett-style guard, Harris combined his shooting abilities with a strong work ethic and character to fuel a successful career in the NBA.
Before joining the professional ranks, Harris’ Virginia career was full of legendary moments. He scored a career-best 36 points en route to a significant victory against Duke in 2013 and finished his junior season as a member of the All-ACC first team. As a senior, Harris helped the Cavaliers to an ACC regular season title and the ACC Tournament title — both feats that had not been accomplished in over 20 years.
Harris finished his time in Charlottesville ranked first in games played. He was notably a force to be reckoned with on the offensive end — when he graduated in 2014, Harris ranked second all-time in three-point percentage and three-point shots made in program history. He was also ranked 11th all-time in scoring with 1,698 points. As a bonus, Harris was named to the 2014 Allstate Good Works Team for his community service efforts.
After four stellar years at Virginia, Harris was selected 33rd overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2014 NBA Draft. Cleveland went on to reach the NBA Finals in the 2014-15 season. Harris was then traded and waived, but he eventually signed with the Nets, where he would play for seven years.
Harris became a Brooklyn legend. He is the Nets’ all-time leader in three-point makes and is 13th on the franchise’s all-time scoring leaderboard. Just like when he played at Virginia, Harris was a scoring machine, averaging over 10 points per game over the course of a season five times in his career.
Harris was a crucial member of the Nets’ occasional playoff teams, averaging 16.5 points per playoff game in 2020 and 11.2 points per playoff game in 2021, where the Nets went toe-to-toe with the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks in an iconic seven-game Eastern Conference semifinal series.
Unfortunately, a load of recent left ankle issues likely played a role in the end of Harris’ career. However, Harris’ career as a whole was undoubtedly a smashing success — accented by his shooting prowess as well as off-court community service efforts. Harris teamed up with fellow Virginia basketball alumni Malcolm Brogdon and Justin Anderson to raise almost $400,000 for the creation of several wells in East Africa, increasing access to clean water in underserved communities. It is clear that Harris represented the University with pride and honor — exemplifying Bennett’s five pillars and serving as a perfect example of the very best of Virginia basketball.
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