Elijah Harkless
American basketball player (born 2000)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Elijah Harkless (born February 3, 2000)[1] is an American professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Salt Lake City Stars of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Cal State Northridge Matadors, the Oklahoma Sooners and the UNLV Runnin' Rebels.
| No. 16 – Utah Jazz | |
|---|---|
| Position | Shooting guard |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | February 3, 2000 |
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Etiwanda (Rancho Cucamonga, California) |
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 2023: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2023–present |
| Career history | |
| 2023–2024 | Ontario Clippers |
| 2024 | Saskatchewan Rattlers |
| 2024 | San Diego Clippers |
| 2025–present | Utah Jazz |
| 2025–present | →Salt Lake City Stars |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
High school career
Harkless attended Etiwanda High School at Rancho Cucamonga, California, leading his team to a 30–4 and a third-place finish at the CIF Southern Section Open Division Tournament as a senior while averaging over 10 points and five assist. He was named to the All-Baseline First Team and to the Sun-Daily Bulletin All-Area Team.[2][3][4]
College career
Harkless initially attended Cal State Northridge where he played 51 games in two seasons while averaging 8.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.4 steals in 23.6 minutes and in his sophomore year, he became the first CSUN player to record a triple-double and the first player since 2005 to get 54 steals in a single-season.[5][2][3][4]
As a junior, Harkless transferred to Oklahoma where he played 49 games played over two seasons and averaged 9.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.6 steals in 28.8 minutes.[5][3][4]
In his final season, Harkless transferred to UNLV, where he started in all 32 games and averaged a career-high 19.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.6 steals in 31.0 minutes while leading his team in total points with 611, total rebounds with 163, total assists with 108, total minutes with 991 and total games.[5][4]
Professional career
Ontario Clippers (2023–2024)
After going undrafted in the 2023 NBA draft, Harkless joined the Ontario Clippers on October 30, 2023.[6] He played 20 games and averaged 11.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.0 steals in 22.6 minutes while shooting 47.5% from the field.[5]
Saskatchewan Rattlers (2024)
On April 25, 2024, Harkless signed with the Saskatchewan Rattlers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League[5] where he played 27 games and averaged 11.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.0 steals in 20.7 minutes.[7] On July 25, he was released by the Rattlers.
San Diego Clippers (2024)
After joining them for the 2024 NBA Summer League,[8] on September 4, 2024, Harkless signed with the Los Angeles Clippers.[7] However, he was waived on September 26[9] and re-signed on October 9.[10] However, he was waived once again on October 19.[11] On October 28, he joined the San Diego Clippers.[12]
Utah Jazz / Salt Lake City Stars (2025–present)
On January 1, 2025, Harkless signed a two-way contract with the Utah Jazz.[13]
Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
NBA
Personal life
The youngest son of Sherice Sterling and Kevin Harkless. He has two brothers: Kevin and Aaron and three sisters: Kreation, Lyniesha, and LaTierra. He received a Bachelor's Degree in communications from the University of Oklahoma in 2022. [4]