Former Virginia Star Joe Harris Wins 2019 NBA Three-Point Contest

| Posted on |

Former Virginia Cavaliers star Joe Harris (currently on the Brooklyn Nets) won the 2019 NBA Three-Point Contest, narrowly beating out Stephen Curry in the final round. Harris led off the event, going first and scoring 25 in the first round. He was then one of three (out of 10) participants to advance, joining Sacramento Kings star Buddy Hield (26) and Curry (27).

In the final round, Harris scored 26 of a possible 34 points to kick things off, hitting his entire money ball rack. That number wound up holding the rest of the way, as Hield, who followed Harris, scored 19 points, and Curry scored 24 points. Stephen Curry, it should be noted, hit his first 10 shots but faltered down the stretch.

Harris is currently in the midst of his best NBA season with the upstart Brooklyn Nets. He’s started all 54 games he’s played in so far, averaging career-highs in minutes (30.1 mpg), points (13.9 ppg), three-point percentage (47.1%) and pretty much everything else.

At Virginia, the 6-foot-6 sniper was a four-year starter, averaging double figures in scoring every year he played. From beyond the arc, he shot 40-percent-or-better in three of four seasons. His best season came as a junior when he averaged a career-best 16.3 points per game and shot a career-high 42.5 percent from deep. During his senior year, he led the Hoos to the Sweet Sixteen and was named MVP of the ACC Tournament.

Prior to the Nets, Joe Harris played with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who drafted him in the second round of the 2014 NBA Draft.

Featured Image: Erik Drost [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons