Dreams, they say, are not made real by magic. They require determination and hard work. That’s why 11-year-old Gary Harris had to have a poster in his room that said, “What did you do today to get you into the NBA?
While it’s heartwarming to know that this guy was able to fulfill his childhood dream, here’s what you need to know about the Denver Nuggets Shooting Guard.
Who Is Gary Harris?
Every fan of this handball game should know a thing or two about Gary Harris. Born September 14, 1994, in Fishers, Indiana, the boy announced during his high school days his intention to dominate the NBA league. As a student at Hamilton Southeastern High School in the city where he was born, Gary Harris flourished in American football but earned widespread admiration and recognition for his skills as a basketball player. When he was about to enter college, he was ranked by several platforms as one of the best players of his peers. He also received a handful of coveted accolades, including being named McDonald’s All-American 2012 and Indiana Mr. Basketball of the year.
Gary did not lower his bar when he joined the Michigan State Spartans to pursue his college career. From 2012 to 2014 he burned for the team and collected more awards. As a rookie, he was named to the second team of the All-Big Ten and Big Ten All-Freshman team in 2013. In the same year, Gary was celebrated as Big Ten Freshman of the Year. He kept pace with his remarkable performance as a sophomore and earned the recognition of being the first team in the Big Ten and Big Ten All-Defensive Teams.
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By April 2014, Gary Harris was confident that he was ready to begin his professional career. As a result, he decided to give up his remaining years of college eligibility and announced that he would be available for the NBA Draft of the Year. Given the skills he demonstrated with the Spartans, it came as no surprise that the Chicago Bulls competed for him. He was selected with the 19th overall selection in the first round. Nevertheless, his stay in the team was very short, as he was soon transferred to the Denver Nuggets. Since then, Harris has remained with the team. Sometime in October 2017, he was awarded an $84 million contract that extended his stay on the team for another four years.
His Parents And Family
Admittedly, this shooting guard from Denver Nuggets was named after his father, Gary Harris Sr., but his basketball talent came from his mother, Joy Holmes-Harris. From what we have learned, she played basketball for more than four years (1987 to 1991) at Purdue, a public university in West Lafayette, Indiana. Records say she is one of the best players Purdue has ever had. As a senior player, she averaged 9.2 rebounds and 21.5 points. She also received All American’s first-team honor before embarking on a professional career in the game, first in Japan and then in the WNBA and ABL (ASEAN Basketball League). Later, Joy became an assistant coach for a women’s college basketball team.
While Gary Harris Sr. dedicated his time to disciplining his son, Joy took on the responsibility of developing Gary’s skills and teaching him the things that would help him become an accomplished professional basketball player.
Is He Gay?
As far as we can tell, Gary Harris is fully focused on his career and hardly has the time to have a romantic affair. However, it is widely believed that the NBA star has not had a relationship because he is sexually attracted to his own gender and is afraid of what his career could become if he shows himself “out of the closet. While these allegations are not clearly substantiated, we have traced their source to a tweet that the Nugget’s playmaker is said to have made about gay porn as early as 2011. Below you can see a screenshot of the tweet.
Apart from that, there are no other reasons that have supported the speculations about Gary’s sexuality. As long as the basketball player does not refute or affirm these allegations, his sexual orientation would remain a secret.
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Gary Harris Height, Weight, And Body Measurements
Professional basketball players are not only expected to have discipline, talent, and skill, but also good height, ideal weight, and excellent physical fitness. Since in this sport various advantages have been associated with large body size, it is assumed that the performance of a player whose height is below the average height of basketball players is largely limited.
Fortunately, Gary Harris has little to worry about in this regard as his height is 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m). This works well for his weight of 95.3 kg (210 lb) and gives him a reputation as a tough but flexible player. More details of his vital body measurements at the time of his call-up are listed below:
Wingspan – 6’6.75″
Standing Reach – 8’0″
Hand Length – 8.5″
Hand Width – 9.5″
