Darius Kinnard Garland (born January 26, 2000) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player for the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the

Vanderbilt Commodores The Vanderbilt Commodores are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Vanderbilt University, located in Nashville, Tennessee. Vanderbilt fields 16 varsity teams (6 men's teams and 10 women's teams), 14 of which compete at the National ...

. Born in Gary, Indiana, Garland is the son of former professional basketball player

Winston Garland Winston Kinnard Garland (born December 19, 1964) is an American former professional basketball player at the point guard position. He played collegiately at the Southeastern Community College (Iowa) for two seasons (1983–84 and 1984–85), and ...

. Garland attended

Brentwood Academy Brentwood Academy is a coeducational Christian independent college preparatory school located in Brentwood, Tennessee, for grades 6–12. History The charter of Brentwood Academy was signed on November 20, 1969, after ten acres of land on Gra ...

in high school, joining the varsity basketball team in eighth grade and leaving as a four-time state champion and three-time Tennessee Mr. Basketball winner. He was a five-star recruit, ranked among the best

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the Basketball positions, five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position and is usually the shortest player ...

s in the 2018 class, and a

McDonald's All-American McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American multinational fast food chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese chain Mixue Ice Cream & Tea. Brothers ...

. He is a two-time NBA All-Star. Garland committed to Vanderbilt as the best recruit in program history. After five games, his college career was cut short by a meniscus injury, which prompted him to leave the team to prepare for the NBA draft. After criticism in his first season due to perceived disappointing play, Garland was named to his first

NBA All-Star The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game. It is the main event of the NBA All-Star Weekend. Traditionally, the All-Star Game featured a conference-based format, featuring a team composed of ...

Game in 2022, and finished third in voting for the NBA's Most Improved Player award the same year. He was named an All-Star again in 2025.

Early life

Garland was born in

Gary, Indiana Gary ( ) is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 69,093 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it Indiana's List of municipalities in Indiana, eleventh-most populous city. The city has been historical ...

, to Felicia Garland and former NBA player

. He grew up playing

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

and started basketball at age five but soon narrowed down his focus to only the latter sport. Garland continued with basketball in elementary school and scored his first basket in second grade. In third grade, he attended basketball camps in

Valparaiso, Indiana Valparaiso ( ), colloquially Valpo, is a city in and the county seat of Porter County, Indiana, United States. The population was 34,151 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. History The site of present-day Valparaiso ...

led by

Bryce Drew Bryce Homer Drew (born September 21, 1974) is an American college basketball coach and former player who is the head coach at Grand Canyon University. Previously, he served as the head coach at Vanderbilt and in the same capacity at his alma ma ...

, who would become his college coach at Vanderbilt. Garland played on a travel team against older opponents and joined an

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It h ...

(AAU) squad based in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

when he was in fourth grade, because none of the local teams met his standards. After he completed sixth grade, his family moved to Tennessee so that he could attend

Brentwood, Tennessee Brentwood is a city in Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 45,373 as of the 2020 United States census.Camron Johnson Camron "Cam" Blais Johnson (born April 12, 1999) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Vanderbilt, Arizona State, and Northwestern. ...

. Garland's father described, "We had always talked about relocating. My mother had lived in Tennessee and she liked it. I just talked to the family and everybody was on board. It was a big leap of faith."

High school career

Garland joined the starting lineup for the Brentwood Academy varsity basketball team while in eighth grade. In his freshman season, he averaged 17

points A point is a small dot or the sharp tip of something. Point or points may refer to: Mathematics * Point (geometry), an entity that has a location in space or on a plane, but has no extent; more generally, an element of some abstract topologica ...

, 1.3

rebounds 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...

, and 2.7 assists per game, leading his team to a

Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA), along with the affiliated Tennessee Middle School Athletic Association (TMSAA), is an organization which administers junior and senior high school sporting events in Tennessee. The TSSAA ...

(TSSAA) Division II-AA state championship. Garland was one of three finalists for Tennessee Mr. Basketball among Division II-AA players. On December 23, 2015, as a sophomore, he claimed

most valuable player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

(MVP) honors at the King of the Bluegrass Holiday Classic, after scoring 23 points versus Fairdale High School in the title game. Garland averaged 18.6 points and 4.3 assists per game and earned TSSAA Division II-AA Mr. Basketball accolades. High school sports website

MaxPreps MaxPreps is an American website that specializes in coverage of American high school sports. The site is currently owned by PlayOn. Founded on August 1, 2002, the company has covered up to 29 sports, including boys, girls, and co-ed sports. ...

also included him in its Sophomore All-American Team honorable mention. From his sophomore to junior year, he grew 2½ inches, and by his fourth season with Brentwood Academy, he was ranked the best

in the 2018 class by recruiting service

247Sports 247Sports is an American network of websites that focus mainly on college recruiting, athletic recruitment in college football and college basketball, basketball. It is owned and operated by Paramount Global, Paramount. The website hosts a large ...

. In March 2017, Garland garnered

Naismith Trophy The Naismith Trophy is a trophy awarded to the men's champion of the FIBA Basketball World Cup, and is named in honor of basketball's inventor, James Naismith. The trophy was first awarded to the winner of the 1967 FIBA World Championship. The ...

High School All-America honorable mention recognition. He averaged 23.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game and led his team to a 30–2 record and state championship. Garland additionally earned MaxPreps Junior All-American first team distinction. On November 13, 2017, he committed to play college basketball for Vanderbilt, drawn there by its proximity to his home and head coach Bryce Drew. Entering his senior season, Garland appeared in the ''USA Today'' All-USA preseason team. He averaged 27.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.7 steals and secured a fourth straight state title for Brentwood Academy, tying the TSSAA record. Garland joined the MaxPreps High School All-American third team and became the only player other than

Brandan Wright Brandan Keith Wright (born October 5, 1987) is an American former professional basketball player. Growing up in Tennessee, Wright fast became a standout at his high school Brentwood Academy, earning three "Mr. Basketball" titles, a feat no play ...

to win Tennessee Mr. Basketball on three occasions. In March 2018, he was named Gatorade Tennessee Player of the Year and a semifinalist for the Naismith Trophy. On March 28, Garland recorded a game-high 11 assists at the 2018 McDonald's All-American Game. He took part in the

Jordan Brand Classic The Jordan Brand Classic is a high school all star basketball game played annually in April. The game's rosters feature the best and most highly recruited high school boys and girls in the senior class. In 2015, a girl's game was introduced. Th ...

and

Nike Hoop Summit The Nike Hoop Summit is an international basketball all-star game sponsored by Nike, Inc., Nike, held once a year, which features the USA Basketball Men's Junior Select Team against a World Select Team of international players. The players demons ...

as well.

College career

Garland entered the 2018–19 season as the best recruit to ever sign with Vanderbilt. He was the only freshman in the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central United States, South Central and Southeastern United States. Its 16 members in ...

(SEC) to make the preseason all-conference team. On November 6, 2018, in his first college game against Winthrop, Garland led all scorers with 24 points. In a 79–70 win over

Liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...

on November 19, he scored a season-high 33 points, the second-most points by a freshman in school history. Garland injured his knee during a

layup A layup in basketball is a two-point shot attempt made by leaping from below, "laying" the ball up near the basket, and using one hand to bounce it off the backboard and into the basket. The motion and one-handed reach distinguish it from a Jump ...

versus

Kent State Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio located in Ashtabula, Burton, East Liverpool, Jackson Township, New Philadelphia, ...

on November 23 and left the game early. Four days later, Vanderbilt head coach

revealed that Garland would be sidelined for the remainder of the season with a meniscus injury. On January 22, 2019, he announced that he would leave Vanderbilt to recover from his injury and prepare for the

2019 NBA draft The 2019 NBA draft was held on June 20, 2019. It took place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible p ...

. Garland later became one of 77 total invitees to take part in the NBA Draft Combine. However, he left the event early on May 15, with the notion that he got promised a selection by a team in the NBA draft lottery.

Professional career

Cleveland Cavaliers (2019–present)

Early years (2019–2021)

Garland was selected with the fifth pick by the

in the

. On July 3, 2019, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Cavaliers. On October 23, 2019, Garland made his debut in NBA, starting in an 85–94 loss to the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...

with eight points, two rebounds, five assists and a steal. Garland made history during this game by becoming the first player born in the 2000s to make his NBA debut. On November 22, he scored a season-high 23 points, alongside four assists, in a 101–143 loss to the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...

. During his rookie season, Garland was often ranked amongst the NBA's worst players. He finished his rookie season averaging 12.3 points and 3.9 assists per game. Garland was excluded from both of the season-end

NBA All-Rookie The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches who are not allowed to vote for playe ...

teams. On December 23, 2020, Garland made his season debut for the Cavaliers, recording 22 points, six rebounds and six assists in a 121–114 win over the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team ...

. On April 5, 2021, he scored a then career-high 37 points, along with seven assists in a 125–101 win over the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

. Despite the Cavaliers missing the playoffs for a third straight season, Garland averaged 17.4 points per game, alongside 6.1 assists and 1.2 steals.

First All-Star and playoff appearance (2021–2024)

On January 12, 2022, Garland recorded his first career triple-double, putting up 11 points, 10 rebounds, and a then career-high 15 assists, in a 111–91 win over the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

. On January 15, Garland recorded 27 points and a career-high 18 assists in a 107–102 win over the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Confer ...

. On February 3, he was selected to his first

Game as a reserve. On March 8, Garland scored a then career-high 41 points with 13 assists in a 127–124 win against the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

. On April 12, Garland scored a team-leading 34 points in a 115–108

NBA play-in tournament The NBA play-in tournament is the preliminary National Basketball Association (NBA) postseason tournament. It determines the final two playoff seeds in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference and is played immediately prior to the NBA pl ...

loss to the

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), ...

. The following game, Garland and the Cavaliers lost to the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

, meaning that despite doubling their previous season's win total from 22 to 44 and finishing with the eighth best record in the eastern conference, they would not advance to the postseason. Garland later finished third, behind

Ja Morant Temetrius Jamel "Ja" Morant ( ; born August 10, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Murray State Racers, where he was ...

and

Dejounte Murray Dejounte Dashaun Murray ( ; born September 19, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for the Washington Huskies, w ...

, in voting for the Most Improved Player award. On July 9, 2022, Garland signed a five-year, $231M designated rookie extension with the Cavaliers. On November 13, he scored a career-high 51 points, with 27 points scored in the fourth quarter, including a personal record 10-of-15 three-point shots in a 129–124 loss to the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...

. He became the fourth Cavaliers player to score 50, joining

LeBron James LeBron Raymone James Sr. ( ; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is the NBA's all-time leading scorer and ...

(nine times),

Kyrie Irving Kyrie Andrew Irving ( ; , ; born March 23, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was named the Rookie of the Year after being selected by the Cleveland Cav ...

(twice) and

Walt Wesley Walter Ivory Wesley (January 25, 1945 – March 28, 2024) was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kansas Jayhawks. Early life Wesley grew up in Fort Myers ...

(once). His ten 3-pointers doubled his previous single-game high and were one short of Irving's team record. He also became the youngest player to score 50+ points and hit 10+ threes in a game before turning 25. On November 18, Garland led the Cavaliers to a double-overtime 132–122 win against the

with a game-leading 41 points. Garland helped the Cavaliers earn the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, securing home-court advantage in the first round and achieving their first 50-win season since 1993 without

on the roster.

Second All-Star selection and best Eastern Conference record (2024–present)

On January 30, 2025, Garland was named as reserve for the

2025 NBA All-Star Game The 2025 NBA All-Star Championship was an all-star single-elimination basketball tournament played on February 16, 2025, during the National Basketball Association's 2024–25 season. It was the 74th edition of the NBA All-Star Game. It was host ...

, his second selection. On February 5, 2025, Garland recorded 25 points, five assists and hit a 31-foot 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the

a 118–115 win over the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

. Garland helped lead the Cavaliers to the best record in the Eastern Conference at 64–18, the second-best regular season record in franchise history. In the playoffs, Garland struggled with injuries, and the Cavaliers were upset by the

in five games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals for the second year in a row, ending their postseason run earlier than expected. On June 9, Garland underwent surgery on the injured left big toe that had hampered him during Cleveland’s playoff exit. Garland is expected to spend 4 to 5 months going through a progression of treatment and rehabilitation before resuming basketball activities by the start of training camp.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

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, 54 , , 50 , , 33.1 , , .451 , , .395 , , .848 , , 3.4 , , 6.1 , , 1.2 , , .1 , , 17.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 68 , , 68 , , 35.7 , , .462 , , .383 , , .892 , , 3.3 , , 8.6 , , 1.3 , , .1 , , 21.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 69 , , 69 , , 35.5 , , .462 , , .410 , , .863 , , 2.7 , , 7.8 , , 1.2 , , .1 , , 21.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 57 , , 57 , , 33.3 , , .446 , , .371 , , .834 , , 2.7 , , 6.5 , , 1.3 , , .1 , , 18.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 75 , , 75 , , 30.7 , , .472 , , .401 , , .878 , , 2.9 , , 6.7 , , 1.2 , , .1 , , 20.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 382 , , 378 , , 33.2 , , .453 , , .388 , , .867 , , 2.7 , , 6.7 , , 1.2 , , .1 , , 18.9 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 2 , , 0 , , 15.1 , , .438 , , .500 , , , , .5 , , 3.0 , , 2.0 , , .0 , , 9.5

Playoffs

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, 5 , , 5 , , 37.7 , , .438 , , .387 , , .840 , , 1.8 , , 5.0 , , 1.6 , , .2 , , 20.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

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, 12 , , 12 , , 36.0 , , .427 , , .352 , , .810 , , 3.6 , , 5.8 , , 1.1 , , .2 , , 15.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...

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, 5 , , 5 , , 29.6 , , .420 , , .286 , , .917 , , 2.2 , , 5.2 , , .4 , , .0 , , 18.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 22 , , 22 , , 35.0 , , .428 , , .343 , , .857 , , 2.9 , , 5.5 , , 1.0 , , .1 , , 17.3

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , style="text-align:left;", Vanderbilt , 5 , , 5 , , 27.8 , , .537 , , .478 , , .880 , , 3.8 , , 2.6 , , 1.8 , , .6 , , 16.2

Personal life

Garland's father

played

for Missouri State before spending seven seasons in the

(NBA). He later became a recreational leader at the

Indiana State Prison The Indiana State Prison is a maximum security Indiana Department of Correction prison for adult males; however, minimum security housing also exists on the confines. It is located in Michigan City, Indiana, about east of Chicago. The average ...

and coach for West Side Leadership Academy in Gary. Both of Garland's grandfathers served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

. He has an older sister and four older brothers.

References

External links

USA Basketball bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Garland, Darius 2000 births Living people American men's basketball players Basketball players from Gary, Indiana Basketball players from Nashville, Tennessee Children of basketball players Cleveland Cavaliers draft picks Cleveland Cavaliers players McDonald's High School All-Americans NBA All-Stars Point guards Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball players 21st-century American sportsmen