Haywood Lee Highsmith Jr. (born December 9, 1996) 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

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

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). Highsmith was born in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

. 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

Cardinals Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

Wheeling Jesuit University Wheeling University (WU, formerly Wheeling Jesuit University) is a private Catholic university in Wheeling, West Virginia, United States. It was founded as "Wheeling College" in 1954 by the Society of Jesus (also known as the Jesuits) and was a ...

and was the

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is the intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environment ...

Player of the Year as a senior in 2018. After not being selected in the

2018 NBA draft The 2018 NBA Draft was held on June 21, 2018, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible players, including internationa ...

, Highsmith began his professional basketball career with the

Delaware Blue Coats The Delaware Blue Coats are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Wilmington, Delaware. They are the G-League affiliates of the Philadelphia 76ers. The Blue Coats play their home games at Chase Fieldhouse. The Bl ...

of the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the Minor league#Basketball, developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of ...

in 2018. Late in the 2018–19 season, Highsmith made his NBA debut with the Blue Coats' parent team

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

. In later years, Highsmith played in multiple stints with the Blue Coats, the

Crailsheim Merlins Crailsheim Merlins, currently referred to as Hakro Merlins Crailsheim for sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball club based in Crailsheim, Germany. Established in 1986, the club plays in the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL), the highest pro ...

of the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

Basketball Bundesliga The Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) (English language: ''Federal Basketball League''), for sponsorship reasons named easyCredit BBL, is the German basketball league system, highest level Sports league, league of professional club basketball in German ...

, and is currently on the

of the NBA.

Early life and college career

Originally from

, Highsmith graduated from

Archbishop Curley High School Archbishop Curley High School is a Roman Catholic boys' high school in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore in the United States, within the Baltimore, City of Baltimore. It is affiliated with the Conventual Franciscan religious order. It i ...

in Baltimore in 2014 where he was classmates with

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

wide receiver

Deonte Harty Deonte Harty (né Harris; December 4, 1997) is an American professional football wide receiver and return specialist. He played college football for the Assumption Greyhounds and signed with the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2 ...

of the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

. His high school coach Brian Hubbard told ''

The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local, regional, national, and international news. Founded in 1837, the newspaper was owned by Tribune Publi ...

'' that Highsmith drew little interest from

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...

colleges. After high school, Highsmith attended Wheeling Jesuit University (now

Wheeling University Wheeling University (WU, formerly Wheeling Jesuit University) is a private Catholic university in Wheeling, West Virginia, United States. It was founded as "Wheeling College" in 1954 by the Society of Jesus (also known as the Jesuits) and was a ...

) and played four seasons for the Wheeling Jesuit Cardinals from 2014 to 2018. He became a starter for the team towards the end of his freshman season. He averaged 14.5 points and 9.4 rebounds as a sophomore, his first full year as a starter, and was named first team All-

Mountain East Conference The Mountain East Conference (MEC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level and officially began competition on September 1, 2013. It consists of 11 schools, m ...

(MEC). In his junior season, Highsmith averaged 15.3 points and 10.8 rebounds and was named second- team All-MEC. As a senior, Highsmith averaged 22 points and 12.6 rebounds per game and was named first-team All-MEC, MEC Player of the Year, and the MVP of the MEC Conference tournament. Nationally, he was named first-team Division II All-America by the

National Association of Basketball Coaches The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, is an American organization of men's college basketball coaches. It was founded in 1927 by Phog Allen, the men's basketball head coach for the Univ ...

and the National Player of the Year by the Division II Conference Commissioner's Association.

Professional career

Delaware Blue Coats (2018–2019)

After going undrafted in the

, Highsmith signed with the

of the

through a local tryout. He averaged 13.7 points per game in 21 appearances.

Philadelphia 76ers (2019)

Highsmith was signed to a

two-way contract A two-way contract is a professional sports contract that stipulates that an athlete's salary is dependent upon the league in which the athlete is assigned to play. This is opposed to a one-way contract that would pay the same salary regardless o ...

by the

on January 8, 2019. Under the terms of the deal, he split time between the 76ers and the Blue Coats. Highsmith made his NBA debut the same day, scoring three points in five minutes of play in a 132–115 win over the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...

, after also playing in a game for the Blue Coats against

Raptors 905 The Raptors 905 are a Canadian professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Mississauga, and are affiliated with the Toronto Raptors. Raptors 905 began play in the 2015–16 season and play their home games at Paramount Fine Foods ...

earlier in the day. Highsmith finished his first professional season averaging 1.8 points and one rebound over five NBA games and 12.2 points, 6.8 rebounds , 2.5 assists, and 1.2 steals over 46 G League games (42 starts). On June 24, 2019, the 76ers waived Highsmith.

Return to the Blue Coats (2019–2020)

After his Exhibit 10 deal with the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...

fell through, Highsmith returned to the 76ers to sign an

Exhibit 10 The NBA salary cap is the limit to the total amount of money that National Basketball Association (NBA) teams are allowed to pay their players. Like the other major professional sports leagues in North America, the NBA has a salary cap to control ...

contract. Highsmith re-joined the Blue Coats for the 2019–20 season. On December 31, Highsmith posted 20 points, eight rebounds, one assist and one steal in a loss to the

Maine Red Claws The Maine Celtics are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Portland, Maine, and are affiliated with the Boston Celtics. The Maine Celtics play their home games at the Portland Expo Building. The Boston Celtics pu ...

. He averaged 10.8 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.

Crailsheim Merlins (2020–2021)

On September 4, 2020, Highsmith signed with the

of the

, for whom he averaged 7.9 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.

Third stint with the Blue Coats (2021)

On July 27, 2021, Highsmith signed with

Vanoli Cremona Guerino Vanoli Basket, also known as Vanoli Cremona, is a professional basketball team of the city of Cremona. The team played in the Lega Basket Serie A, LBA, the top Italian basketball league, for 12 years until 2021. From 1999 to 2011 the soci ...

of the Italian

Lega Basket Serie A The Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) is a professional men's club (sport), club basketball list of basketball leagues, league that has been organised in Italy since 1920. Serie A is organised by Lega Basket, which is regulated by the Italian Basketball ...

(LBA) with an NBA exit option. As an Exhibit 10 offer arrived from the

, he decided to withdraw from Cremona and return to the U.S. On September 30, he signed and was waived by the 76ers. Highsmith rejoined the Blue Coats in 2021. He averaged 14.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game.

Miami Heat (2021–2022)

On December 30, 2021, Highsmith signed a 10-day contract with the

via the hardship exemption.

Fourth stint with the Blue Coats (2022)

On January 9, 2022, Highsmith was reacquired by the

Return to the Heat (2022–2025)

On February 15, 2022, Highsmith signed a standard 10-day contract with the

. Ten days later, he signed a second 10-day contract. Following the expiration of the second 10-day contract, Highsmith signed a three-year deal to remain with the Heat. On December 20, 2022, Highsmith scored a career-high 18 points, alongside two rebounds, two assists and four steals, in a 113–103 loss to the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

. The Heat qualified for the

play-in tournament A play-in game ...

and advanced to face the top-seeded

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

in the first round, whom they defeated in five games in a historic upset. In game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Highsmith scored a then-playoff career-high 15 points, alongside two rebounds and two steals, in a 110–97 loss to the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

. The Heat eventually defeated the Celtics in seven games to advance to the 2023 edition of the

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...

against the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

. In game 1 of the Finals, Highsmith matched his career high of 18 points, alongside two rebounds and two steals, in a 104–93 loss. The Heat went on to lose the series in five games. On July 8, 2024, Highsmith re-signed with the Heat.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

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Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

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, 54 , , 11 , , 18.0 , , .431 , , .339 , , .464 , , 3.5 , , .8 , , .7 , , .3 , , 4.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 66 , , 26 , , 20.7 , , .465 , , .396 , , .639 , , 3.2 , , 1.1 , , .8 , , .5 , , 6.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 74 , , 42 , , 24.6 , , .458 , , .382 , , .721 , , 3.4 , , 1.5 , , .9 , , .5 , , 6.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 218 , , 80 , , 20.0 , , .449 , , .374 , , .605 , , 3.1 , , 1.1 , , .7 , , .4 , , 5.4

Playoffs

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2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

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, 8 , , 0 , , 3.9 , , .429 , , .600 , , , , .6 , , .4 , , .0 , , .0 , , 1.1 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

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, 18 , , 0 , , 8.9 , , .615 , , .500 , , .800 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , .6 , , .1 , , 3.3 , - , 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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, 5 , , 0 , , 25.1 , , .357 , , .188 , , 1.000 , , 2.8 , , 1.6 , , .2 , , .2 , , 4.8 , - , 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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, 4 , , 0 , , 21.0 , , .579 , , .467 , , , , 3.3 , , 1.0 , , .8 , , .5 , , 7.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 35 , , 0 , , 11.5 , , .516 , , .404 , , .833 , , 1.6 , , .6 , , .4 , , .1 , , 3.5

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Highsmith, Haywood 1996 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Germany American men's basketball players Basketball players from Baltimore Crailsheim Merlins players Delaware Blue Coats players Miami Heat players Philadelphia 76ers players Small forwards Undrafted NBA players United States men's national basketball team players Wheeling Cardinals men's basketball players 21st-century American sportsmen