Vernon A. Carey Jr. (born February 25, 2001) 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 court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player who last played for 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 league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...

of the

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

(NBA). He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the

Duke Blue Devils The Duke Blue Devils are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Duke University, located in Durham, North Carolina. Duke's athletics department features 27 varsity teams that all compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Associati ...

. He finished his high school career at NSU University School as a five star recruit and among the top-ranked players in the 2019 class.

High school career

Carey starred for four years at

University School of Nova Southeastern University The NSU University School, commonly known as University School or simply U-School, is a fully accredited, independent, college preparatory school in Davie, Florida, that serves grades pre-K through grade 12. The school is located on the Nova South ...

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale () is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and largest city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth ...

. During his freshman season, he averaged 18.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks while leading the Sharks to a 15–9 overall record. As a sophomore, Carey averaged 22.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, while leading his team to a 20–7 record and a Florida district state championship. After his sophomore year, Carey was named to the 2017 Miami Herald and

Sun Sentinel The ''Sun Sentinel'' (also known as the ''South Florida Sun Sentinel'', known until 2008 as the ''Sun-Sentinel'', and stylized on its masthead as ''SunSentinel'') is the main daily newspaper of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as well as surrounding Br ...

all-district teams as well as 2017 MaxPreps All-American honorable mention. As a junior, Carey averaged 26.0 points and 10.1 rebounds a game, while leading the Sharks to an overall record of 36–2, the 2018 Florida 5A state championship, and championships at the 2017 City of Palms Invitational and the 2017 John Wall Invitational. Carey led his team to the finals at the High School National Tournament, losing in the championship game to

Montverde Academy Montverde Academy is a private PK–12 school in Montverde, Florida, United States. History The school was founded in 1912 as Montgomery Industrial School. The school president was Henry P. Carpenter. It underwent a major expansion in 1921, wh ...

and its star,

RJ Barrett Rowan Alexander "RJ" Barrett Jr. (born June 14, 2000) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected third overall in the 2019 NBA draft by the New York Knicks ...

. Carey averaged 17.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per game on the

Nike Elite Youth Basketball League The Nike Elite Youth Basketball League, also known as Nike EYBL, or simply EYBL, is a basketball circuit for teams of players aged 17 and under. The circuit was founded in 2010 and is composed of AAU travel teams. Both boys and girls play in the ...

(EYBL) Circuit for his AAU team, Nike Team Florida. Carey finished his senior season averaging 21.7 points, 9.0

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 1.1 blocks per game. The 2018–19 University team with a supporting cast of Scottie Barnes,

Taylor Hendricks Taylor Hendricks (born November 22, 2003) is an American basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the UCF Knights. As a freshman, he was a Second-team All-AAC and AAC A ...

Jace and

Jett Howard Jett Howard (born September 14, 2003) is an American professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He plays the point guard and shooting guard positions for college and the NBA. He played 20 ...

, successfully defended its

FHSSA Global Partners in Care (GPIC), formerly known as The Foundation for Hospices in Sub-Saharan Africa (FHSSA), is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization by a group of internationally recognized hospice and HIV/AIDS care professionals to generate suppor ...

Class 5A State championship with a victory over Andrew Jackson High School, despite Carey being sidelined for the championship game.

Recruiting

On December 6, 2018, Carey announced on

SportsCenter ''SportsCenter'' (SC) is a daily sports news television program that serves as the flagship program and brand of American cable and satellite television network ESPN. The show covers various sports teams and athletes from around the world and of ...

that he was committed to attend Duke University. He made the announcement on the one year anniversary of his grandfather's passing. At the end of his senior season, Carey was ranked the 6th best player in the country, rated a five-star recruit by all major recruiting services, and selected to play in the 2019 McDonald's All-American Boys Game and 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 in the senior class including alumns like Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, B ...

College career

Before the start of the 2019–20 season, Carey was named to the John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 list as well as the Naismith,

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award The Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award is an annual basketball award given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the top men's collegiate center. Following the success of the Bob Cousy Award which had been awarded sinc ...

, and

Lute Olson Award The Lute Olson Award is an award given annually to the most outstanding men's college basketball player in NCAA Division I competition. The award was established in 2010 and is named for former Arizona Wildcats The Arizona Wildcats are the s ...

preseason watchlists. On November 12, Carey recorded his first double-double of the season scoring 17 points and 10 rebounds in a 105–54 win against Central Arkansas. On November 15, Carey scored a career high 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a 74–63 win over Georgia State. On November 21, Carey scored a career-high 31 points and 12 rebounds in an 87–52 win over

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

. On the next night, Carey recorded 20 points and 10 rebounds in an 81–73 victory over Georgetown, and was named MVP of the

2K Sports Classic The Empire Classic, formerly known as the 2K Sports Classic, is an annual college basketball event played in November at the beginning of the season and televised by ESPN. Originally known as the Atlantic City Shootout and produced by the Gazel ...

tournament. Carey would earn both player and freshman of the week honors in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). On December 3, Carey scored 26 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 blocks in an 87–75 win against

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It ...

in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. On December 19, Carey posted another double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds in an 86–57 win over Wofford. On December 23, Carey was named ACC freshman of the week for the third consecutive time. On January 4, Carey scored 24 points and grabbed nine rebounds in a 95–62 win against

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at th ...

. On January 28, Carey erupted for 26 points and 13 rebounds in a 79–67 victory over

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. On February 1, Carey scored 26 points and a career-high 17 rebounds in a 97–88 win against

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States * Syracuse, New York ** East Syracuse, New York ** North Syracuse, New York * Syracuse, Indiana *Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, M ...

. At the conclusion of the regular season, Carey was named ACC Freshman of the Year and was selected to the First Team All-ACC. Carey averaged 17.8 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game as a freshman, earning National Freshman of the Year honors from the

U.S. Basketball Writers Association The United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) was founded in 1956 by National Collegiate Athletic Association director Walter Byers to serve the interests of journalists who cover college basketball. Scholarships The USBWA annually awar ...

and 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, head men's basketball coach at the University ...

. Following the season he declared for the

2020 NBA draft The 2020 NBA draft was held on November 18, 2020. The draft was originally scheduled to be held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on June 25, but due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it was instead conducted at ESPN's facilities in Bristol, Connecti ...

Professional career

Charlotte Hornets (2020–2022)

Carey was taken by 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 league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...

with the 32nd pick of the

. On November 30, 2020, he signed a multi-year contract with the Hornets. Carey made his NBA debut on December 30, playing four minutes in a 118–99 win over 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 Western Conference Southwest Division. The ...

. On April 16, 2021, he scored a career-high 21 points, alongside six rebounds, in a 115–130 loss to the

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

. During his rookie and sophomore seasons, Carey received multiple assignments to the Greensboro Swarm, Charlotte's

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA De ...

affiliate.

Washington Wizards (2022–2023)

On February 10, 2022, Carey was traded, alongside

Ish Smith Ishmael Larry Smith (born July 5, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Smith holds the record of ...

, to the

in exchange for

Montrezl Harrell Montrezl Dashay Harrell (; (born January 26, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Louisville Cardinals. Harrell received t ...

. On April 10, Carey recorded a season-high 11 points, alongside seven rebounds, in a 108–124 loss to the

. On March 1, 2023, Carey was waived by the Wizards.

Career statistics

NBA

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Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...

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, 4 , , 1 , , 4.3 , , .500 , , — , , .667 , , 1.3 , , .0 , , .3 , , .0 , , 2.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, 3 , , 0 , , 9.0 , , .571 , , — , , .400 , , 2.3 , , .0 , , .3 , , .3 , , 4.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 11 , , 0 , , 2.5 , , .250 , , — , , 1.000 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , .2 , , .2 , , .5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 37 , , 5 , , 5.1 , , .474 , , .143 , , .654 , , 1.4 , , .1 , , .1 , , .2 , , 1.9

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2019–20 , style="text-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 sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, t ...

, 31 , , 30 , , 24.9 , , .577 , , .381 , , .670 , , 8.8 , , 1.0 , , .7 , , 1.6 , , 17.8

Personal life

Carey is the son of Latavia and

Vernon Carey Vernon A. Carey Sr. (born July 31, 1981) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle for eight seasons with the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Dolphins with the ...

, who played with the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the maj ...

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pl ...

from 2004 to 2011.

References

External links

Duke Blue Devils bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carey, Vernon 2001 births Living people 21st-century African-American sportspeople African-American basketball players All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Florida Capital City Go-Go players Centers (basketball) Charlotte Hornets draft picks Charlotte Hornets players Duke Blue Devils men's basketball players Greensboro Swarm players McDonald's High School All-Americans NSU University School alumni People from Southwest Ranches, Florida Power forwards (basketball) Sportspeople from the Miami metropolitan area Washington Wizards players