Joe Harris, Who Once Beat Steph Curry in a 3Pt Contest, Nearly Left the NBA Years Before Retirement – Here’s Why

That’s it! It is the end of the road for Joe Harris. After 504 games and 1026 3-pointers, the 32-year-old announced his decision to retire from the game after 10 seasons in the NBA. His career was nothing short of a highlight reel with dazzling shots from deep and a story that should inspire many aspiring to be an NBA player. So, who is Joe Harris, the player who ranks as the 5th most accurate long-range shooter only behind Steve Kerr (45.4%), Hubert Davis (44.1%), Luke Kennard (43.9%), and Drazen Petrovic (43.7)?

Joey Buckets was not the most dazzling name on the team, but his contribution exceeded expectations, probably his own as well. A player with a 43.6% career 3-point shooting automatically qualifies as one of the most elite shooters in the game, but his feat in 2019 proved that those numbers did not lie.

His shock win over Steph Curry (26-24) in the 3-point contest during the 2019 All-Star weekend has a dedicated fanbase of its own. It had gone down to the final round and Joe Harris remains the only Nets player to win the event. But before that statement win, the sharpshooter almost left the NBA because of the hardships that derailed many athletes’ careers.

After joining the league in 2014 as the 33rd overall draft pick by the Cavaliers, Harris had a tough start to his NBA career. Because of LeBron James‘ return to Cleveland and the signing of Kevin Love, his minutes plummeted. So the Canton Charge, the Cavs’ G-League team, became his new stomping ground. The next season proved to be far more challenging as Harris was ruled out till the end of the 2015-16 season because of surgery required to remove the extra bone in his right foot.

Just when someone thought his luck couldn’t be any worse, Harris was traded to the Magic in January and waived, immediately. This almost drove Harris out of the league, but he had a list to complete. 3/4 goals on the list, including being a good teammate, getting a college scholarship, and playing in the NBA, were chalked off with the only one remaining, which was to win a Championship.

While he unfortunately retired with that final goal unachieved, Joe Harris’ journey didn’t come to a standstill after becoming a free agent. In July 2016, the former Virginia guard signed with the Nets during the franchise’s rebuilding phase and was one of the centerpieces in moving the team up to the ground floor from its basement position.

Joe Harris’ legacy in Brooklyn

Joe Harris went to Brooklyn when the franchise was moving on from GM Billy King and players like Deron Williams and Joe Johnson. Harris settled in quickly and made a name for himself as one of the most prolific shooters in the league. Soon, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving joined the team and the Nets could then smell a Championship near. Despite the two major players’ arrival, Harris was pivotal in everything good about the Nets with a career-high shooting split in the 2020-21 season with 50.5% FG and 47.5% from deep.

So it was expected of him to sink his 3s in the playoff series against the Bucks, but Harris surprisingly missed most of his shots from range. The series ended in a 4-3 loss and Joe missed his only chance after his Cavs days to play in the NBA Finals and complete his bucket list by winning it. Despite that, he is retiring as the Nets’ All-time leading 3-point scorer with 984 buckets to his name. His career never got going after that season, as another injury reduced his minutes in the following years before his ultimate exit from Detroit.