Ex-NBA award winner leaving league to play overseas
Feb 12, 2022; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets center Montrezl Harrell (8) during pregame warm ups before the start between the Charlotte Hornets and the Memphis Grizzlies at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
One former NBA honoree appears to be officially done in the league.
ESPN’s Olgun Uluc reports this week that veteran big man Montrezl Harrell has agreed to sign with the Adelaide 36ers of the National Basketball League (NBL) in Australia. Harrell will reportedly be on a short-term deal with the 36ers as an injury replacement for Jarell Martin, another ex-NBA big man, but with the potential of staying on the team even when Martin is healthy.
Still only 30 years old, Harrell has played seven total NBA seasons for six different teams. His best work came in the 2019-20 campaign when Harrell won NBA Sixth Man of the Year with the LA Clippers on the strength of his 18.6 points. 7.1 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game.
But Harrell, undersized at 6-foot-7, had begun to fall out of favor in the NBA, as we had already seen before with other smaller bigs without the ability to shoot or to truly protect the rim (such as Kenneth Faried, Tristan Thompson, etc.). Harrell also suffered a torn ACL last summer as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers and missed the entire 2023-24 season as a result.
Before he got injured, Harrell’s role in the NBA had become largely that of a bench troll. Now he will be getting the chance to see some regular minutes again, albeit some 9,000 miles away in Australia.
