Montrezl Harrell is having quite the summer on the road. The former Louisville star who helped win the program’s last national title in 2013 — and had a lengthy NBA career with stints on the Rockets, Clippers, Lakers, Wizards, Hornets, and 76ers — has been well-traveled this summer while balancing life playing in both the Big3 and The Basketball Tournament.
Harrell’s love for basketball is evident when he speaks, but his commitment to the game despite being out of the NBA the last three seasons is summed up by what he did last weekend. Less than 24 hours after playing 31 minutes for The Ville (Louisville’s alumni team) against La Familia (Kentucky’s alumni team) in the TBT on Saturday, Harrell hit the road for his next adventure playing for the Chicago Triplets in the Big3.
Harrell traveled from Lexington, Kentucky, to Chicago to play in his team’s game Sunday against LA Riot, where he broke the league’s single-game scoring record (42 points) in the Triplets’ 50-31 win. Harrell has played in two games in the Big3 this season and is sixth in the league (76) in points.
And he’s going to do it again this week. Shortly after Harrell plays in a decisive Game 3 at 6 p.m. ET Wednesday against La Familia on FS1 and (streaming free on Fubo) he will travel over 300 miles to play in the Big 3 on Thursday in Detroit when the Triplets face the Amps (streaming free on Fubo). Chicago will take on DMV Trilogy on Aug. 2 in Atlanta on CBS (streaming free on CBSSports.com)
“I’m different, I love basketball,” Harrell told CBS Sports by phone on Wednesday. “I actually love being part of this game. Other people, I’m not going to call on (any) names, but there are players out here that only do it for the money because they’re getting paid to do it. It’s a job for them. I never wanted basketball to be that for me because although it is my job, I never wanted to look at it as a job. There are plenty of people out here who go into jobs they f—— hate every day. I never wanted to play the game of basketball like that because it’s my peace, it’s my sanctuary.”
How Louisville shaped Harrell’s NBA career
Even though it’s been over a decade since Harrell played a college game, his love for the Louisville program is still there.
After a three-year career at Louisville, Harrell entered the 2015 NBA Draft where he was selected in the second round (No. 32 overall) by the Rockets. Harrell found a role in the NBA as a glue guy and one of the best sixth men of the mid-2010s. He was named NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 2020 after averaging a career-best 18.6 points per game with the Clippers.
On Monday, he was back in Louisville and scored 35 points at Freedom Hall to even the series against La Familia and keep his team in contention to cash in on a $2 million prize that goes to the winner of TBT.
The highlight of that game wasn’t any shot that Harrell made. It was him jumping on the scorer’s table with 3:53 left after his team extended their lead to 25 points.
“As far as the university itself goes, I still feel love for them,” Harrell said. “It’s more so what you see the other night in Freedom Hall. That’s why I feel the love, the fans and the people who were there when we made the run that we made.”
Harrell hasn’t played in the NBA since the 2022-23 season. He most recently played for Atléticos de San Germán, a pro club in Puerto Rico. Still, despite being out of the NBA for three years and going on a fourth, Harrell would still be open to a return to the league.
“I’m definitely open to going back to the NBA,” Harrell said. “Honestly, it’s one of those things where it’s not my choice. It’s not up to me; it’s up to the NBA organizations as far as the teams. Once you kind of get somebody that puts a bad rep on your name, it’s a bit tough. I had a player who kind of tarnished and kind of put my name in a bad position. … I’m a person who loves to win and play the game the right way. I would do anything for (my) team. It’s wild to hear those different stories.”