Marshall Harrison Plumlee (born July 14, 1992) is an American former 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 and an active-duty
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 ...
Ranger-Qualified officer. 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
Duke University Blue Devils. He was one of the top-rated basketball recruits in the class of 2011, 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 ...
,
and is the younger brother and former high school and college teammate of both
Mason and
Miles Plumlee.
High school career
A native of
Warsaw, Indiana
Warsaw is a city in and the county seat of Kosciusko County, Indiana, United States. Warsaw has a population of 15,804 as of the 2020 U.S. Census. Warsaw also borders a smaller town, Winona Lake.
Etymology
Warsaw, named after the capital of ...
, Plumlee joined his older brothers as boarding students at
Christ School in
Arden, North Carolina
Arden is an unincorporated community located in southern Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. Arden is considered to be approximately the area between Skyland and Fletcher near the Henderson County line. Arden's ZIP code is 28704 ...
.
During his four years on the basketball team, the Greenies won 139 out of 150 games, winning four consecutive state championships. Plumlee's contribution to the team increased each year. By his junior year, when both his brothers were playing for Duke, Plumlee averaged 8.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game.
As a senior, Plumlee averaged 11.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game. Following that season, the Plumlee was named the
Gatorade
Gatorade is an American brand of sports-themed beverage and food products, built around its signature line of sports drinks. The drink is owned and manufactured by PepsiCo and is distributed in over 80 countries. The beverage was develope ...
Player of the Year in North Carolina and named to the
2011 McDonald's All-American Game.
As a senior, Plumlee signed to play for
Duke University
Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...
.
Plumlee's five-player recruiting class for
Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...
in 2011 included
Austin Rivers,
Alex Murphy,
Quinn Cook, and
Michael Gbinije. Duke's class was the second-best recruiting class in 2011, according to
ESPNU
ESPNU is an American multinational digital cable and satellite sports television channel owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between the Walt Disney Company (which owns a controlling 80% stake) and Hearst Communications (which owns the remain ...
.
College career
In Plumlee's freshman year at
Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...
, both of his brothers were on the team and Marshall redshirted.
He made his debut in 2012–13, but his playing time was limited by a stress fracture in his foot.
[ In Plumlee's junior year (2014–15), he saw limited action, playing 8.5 minutes per game in 30 contests.][
By his junior year, Plumlee had developed into a steady inside defender, backing up ]Jahlil Okafor
Jahlil Obika Okafor (; born December 15, 1995) is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player for the Noblesville Boom of the NBA G League. He played his freshman season of college basketball for the 2014–15 Duke Blue Devils men's baske ...
, a freshman who went on to be the 3rd pick in that year's NBA draft. That 2015 Duke team won the NCAA national championship.[
During his final season at Duke, Plumlee served as a team captain along with Amile Jefferson and Matt Jones. Plumlee started all 36 games that year, averaging 8.3 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 1.6 blocked shots per game.
]
College statistics
, -
, align="left" , 2012–13
, align="left" , Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...
, 19 , , 0 , , 2.6 , , .125 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.6 , , 0.1 , , 0.2 , , 0.2 , , 0.1
, -
, align="left" , 2013–14
, align="left" , Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...
, 30 , , 0 , , 8.5 , , .552 , , 0.0 , , .353 , , 2.2 , , 0.3 , , 0.2 , , 0.6 , , 1.3
, -
, align="left" , 2014–15
, align="left" , Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...
, 39 , , 0 , , 9.6 , , .762 , , 1.00 , , .710 , , 2.4 , , 0.3 , , 0.2 , , 0.6 , , 2.2
, -
, align="left" , 2015–16
, align="left" , Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...
, 36 , , 36 , , 30.5 , , .688 , , 0.0 , , .575 , , 8.6 , , 1.1 , , 0.8 , , 1.6 , , 8.3
, -
Professional career
New York Knicks (2016–2017)
After going undrafted in the 2016 NBA draft, Plumlee joined the New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...
for the 2016 NBA Summer League. On July 8, 2016, he signed with the Knicks. During his rookie season, he had multiple assignments to the Westchester Knicks
The Westchester Knicks are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in White Plains, New York, and are affiliated with the New York Knicks. The Knicks play their home games at Westchester County Center in White Plains, N ...
of the NBA Development League
The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of the 2024–25 season, ...
. Plumlee made his NBA debut on November 20, 2016, against 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 ...
. He was rushed into the city from his D-League assignment when starting center Joakim Noah was sent home due to illness. He gathered a rebound and committed a foul in five minutes of action in a win over the Hawks. On July 7, 2017, he was waived by the Knicks.
Agua Caliente Clippers (2017–2018)
On September 27, 2017, Plumlee signed with the Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The ...
. He was waived by the Clippers on October 14, 2017, after appearing in four preseason games. A week later, he was named in the inaugural Agua Caliente Clippers training camp roster. He went on to earn a spot in the team's opening-night roster.
Milwaukee Bucks (2018)
On January 15, 2018, Plumlee signed 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 ...
with the 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 ...
. Throughout the season, he split his playing time between the Bucks and their 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 ...
affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd
The Wisconsin Herd are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and are affiliated with the Milwaukee Bucks. The Herd play their home games at Oshkosh Arena.
History
On June 29, 2016, it was anno ...
.
National team career
Plumlee played with the senior United States national team at the 2017 FIBA AmeriCup, where the team won the gold medal.
NBA career statistics
Regular season
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", New York
, 21 , , 1 , , 8.1 , , .533 , , – , , .421 , , 2.4 , , .5 , , .2 , , .2 , , 1.9
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", Milwaukee
Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...
, 8 , , 0 , , 6.5 , , .333 , , – , , .750 , , 2.1 , , .3 , , .0 , , .1 , , 1.8
, -
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career
, 29 , , 1 , , 7.7 , , .515 , , – , , .571 , , 2.3 , , .4 , , .1 , , .2 , , 1.9
Military career
Plumlee earned a commission into 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 ...
as an infantry officer through Duke University's Reserve Officers' Training Corps
The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC; or ) is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces.
While ROTC graduate officers serve in all branches o ...
(ROTC) program. He participated in a ROTC contracting ceremony on January 23, 2015, on the court of Cameron Indoor Stadium
Cameron Indoor Stadium is an indoor arena located on the campus of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. The 9,314-seat facility is the primary indoor athletic venue for the Duke Blue Devils and serves as the home court for Duke Duke Blue ...
. Upon graduating from Duke, Plumlee commissioned into the New York National Guard in 2017, while playing for the New York Knicks.
In 2019, Plumlee graduated from Ranger School
The Ranger School is a 62-day United States Army small unit tactics and leadership course that develops functional skills directly related to units whose mission is to engage the enemy in close combat and direct fire battles. Ranger training w ...
, with his mother affixing the Ranger Tab, and transitioned to an active-duty military status. According to Plumlee, his inspiration to serve in the military stemmed from his childhood just as his desire to play professional basketball. General Robert Brooks Brown, a retired commanding general of United States Army Pacific
The United States Army Pacific (USARPAC) is an Army Service Component Command which serves as the Army service component for United States Indo-Pacific Command. It may also serve as a Joint Task Force headquarters. The command has forces in Alas ...
, became a mentor of Plumlee's in high school. Both men played collegiate basketball under coach Mike Krzyzewski
Michael William Krzyzewski ( , ; born February 13, 1947), nicknamed "Coach K", is an American former college basketball coach. He served as the head coach at Duke University from 1980–81 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team, 1980 to 2021� ...
.
Business career
In May 2022, Plumlee announced that he would be entering the two-year MBA
A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular a ...
program at Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate school, graduate business school of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university. Located in Allston, Massachusetts, HBS owns Harvard Business Publishing, which p ...
, joining the HBS class of 2024.
Personal life
Plumlee grew up with brothers Miles and Mason, and they reunited during the 2011–12 basketball season at Duke University; they also have a sister named Madeleine, who played volleyball at the University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...
. They were only the third trio of brothers to play on the same college basketball team at the same time.
His parents are Millard "Perky" (a former Tennessee Tech basketball player) and Leslie Plumlee (a former Purdue
Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donat ...
women's basketball
Women's basketball is the team sport of basketball played by women. It was first played in 1892, one year after men's basketball, at Smith College in Massachusetts. It spread across the United States, in large parts via women's college compet ...
player who set the school single-game rebound record with 25). The two met at a basketball camp during the summer of 1979.[ ] His grandfather Albert "Bud" Schultz played basketball at Michigan Tech (1944), his uncle William Schultz played basketball at Wisconsin–Eau Claire (1971–72), and his uncle Chad Schultz played basketball at Wisconsin–Oshkosh (1983–86).
References
External links
Duke profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Plumlee, Marshall
1992 births
Living people
Agua Caliente Clippers players
American men's basketball players
Basketball players from Indiana
Centers (basketball)
Christ School (North Carolina) alumni
Duke Blue Devils men's basketball players
McDonald's High School All-Americans
Milwaukee Bucks players
New York Knicks players
People from West Lafayette, Indiana
Undrafted NBA players
United States men's national basketball team players
Westchester Knicks players
Wisconsin Herd players
Harvard Business School alumni
21st-century American sportsmen