Aaron Nesmith Bio
Aaron Joshua Nesmith is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He plays both small forward and shooting guard, and wears jersey number 23 for the Pacers. Nesmith played college basketball for the Vanderbilt Commodores before being selected 14th overall in the 2020 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics. After two seasons in Boston, which included a trip to the 2022 NBA Finals, he was traded to the Pacers in a deal centered on guard Malcolm Brogdon.
Standing 6 feet 5 inches tall and listed at 215 pounds, Nesmith is regarded as one of the league’s most reliable shooters. In his second stint in the NBA Finals in 2025, he established himself as a key contributor on a Pacers team that won the Eastern Conference championship.
Early Life and Background
Aaron Joshua Nesmith was born on October 16, 1999, in Charleston, South Carolina. He grew up in the Lowcountry and attended Porter-Gaud School in Charleston beginning in the fifth grade. He was first called up to the varsity basketball team as an eighth-grader, an early sign of his unusual development for his age.
As a sophomore, Nesmith won the South Carolina Independent School Association (SCISA) Class 3A state title as his team’s leading scorer. He then led Porter-Gaud to two more Class 3A state championships in his final two seasons, completing his high school career as a three-time SCISA Class 3A Player of the Year. As a senior, he averaged 21 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game and was named South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year for his combined success in basketball and academics.
Nesmith was rated a four-star recruit by ESPN and 247Sports and was ranked as the 64th overall player in the country, the 12th-ranked shooting guard, and the second-ranked player in South Carolina. He committed to Vanderbilt on September 19, 2017, choosing the Commodores over offers from Florida, South Carolina, Harvard, Virginia Tech, and Columbia. He did not receive offers from any high-major NCAA Division I programs until his senior year, but he began drawing attention after a strong performance at an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) tournament in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Path to Basketball
Nesmith’s path to the NBA began on the varsity court at Porter-Gaud, where his rapid rise and three state titles established him as one of the most decorated high school players in South Carolina. His success in AAU competition and a late recruiting surge gave him the platform to choose between several academic and athletic programs before settling on Vanderbilt.
As a freshman with the Vanderbilt Commodores, Nesmith stepped into a larger role after Darius Garland suffered a season-ending injury and Simisola Shittu underachieved. He started a majority of his games and averaged 11 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, leading the team in scoring during conference play. On February 18, 2019, he was named Southeastern Conference (SEC) Freshman of the Week after scoring a season-high 26 points against Florida and posting a 24-point, 14-rebound double-double against Auburn.
His sophomore season, which began on November 6, 2019, was one of the most efficient shooting stretches in college basketball. He scored 25 points with seven three-pointers in a win over Southeast Missouri State, then dropped a career-high 34 points with seven threes in an overtime loss to Richmond. He was added to the Oscar Robertson Trophy watch list on December 6, 2019, and on January 4, 2020, hit eight three-pointers and scored 29 points in an overtime loss to SMU. A right foot injury suffered on January 11, 2020, ended his season after 14 games, but he still averaged 23 points and 4.9 rebounds per game while shooting 52.2 percent from three-point range. He was the fifth-leading scorer in NCAA Division I and had posted the highest single-season scoring average by a Vanderbilt player since Tom Hagan in 1968–69. After surgery on January 28, he did not return to the floor and declared for the 2020 NBA Draft.
Aaron Nesmith Career
Early Career (2020–2022)
Nesmith was selected with the 14th pick in the first round of the 2020 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics. On November 24, 2020, the Celtics signed him to a four-year, $16.5 million rookie contract that included team options in the third and fourth seasons. With fellow rookie Payton Pritchard absorbing many of Kemba Walker’s minutes, Nesmith initially struggled to crack the regular rotation, but injuries and COVID-19 protocols opened the door for him to earn consistent minutes by the end of his rookie year.
By April 23, 2021, head coach Brad Stevens had seen enough from the rookie to give him a regular role, and Nesmith hovered around 20 minutes per game the rest of the regular season. On April 28, 2021, he recorded multiple career highs, including 15 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 blocks in a win over the Charlotte Hornets, then backed it up with back-to-back 16-point games. He played for the Celtics in the 2021 NBA Summer League and, on February 15, 2022, set a then-Celtics career high with 18 points in a win over the Philadelphia 76ers. In his second season, Nesmith and the Celtics reached the 2022 NBA Finals and lost in six games to the Golden State Warriors.
Indiana Pacers Era (2022–Present)
On July 9, 2022, Nesmith was traded, alongside Daniel Theis, Malik Fitts, Juwan Morgan, Nik Stauskas, and a 2023 first-round pick, to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Malcolm Brogdon. He made an immediate impact in his first year, scoring 19 points off the bench on November 19, 2022, against the Orlando Magic, including two game-winning free throws with 9.6 seconds left. On December 18, 2022, he set new career highs with 23 points and 10 rebounds against the New York Knicks, earning the starting small forward role for the rest of that season.
His scoring climbed steadily in his second full Pacers season. On February 2, 2023, he posted a then-career-high 24 points in a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, and on March 18, 2023, he raised that mark to 25 points against the Philadelphia 76ers. On October 23, 2023, Nesmith agreed to a three-year, $33 million contract extension with the Pacers, and five days later, he set a new career high with 26 points and 9 rebounds in a 125–113 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. On December 30, 2023, he hit a career-high seven three-pointers in a victory over the New York Knicks, on a night when teammate Tyrese Haliburton tied the Pacers franchise record with 23 assists.
During the 2024–25 season, Nesmith shot 50.7 percent from the field, 43.1 percent from three-point range, and 91.3 percent from the free throw line, nearly qualifying for the prestigious 50–40–90 club. On May 21, 2025, in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Knicks, he scored a career-high 30 points on 9-of-13 shooting, including a career-high 8-of-9 from three-point range, and made six straight threes in the final five minutes of regulation to help the Pacers erase a 14-point deficit in a 138–135 overtime win. Indiana defeated New York in six games to win the Eastern Conference championship and advanced to the 2025 NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, marking Nesmith’s second career Finals appearance. On October 20, 2025, Nesmith and the Pacers agreed to a two-year, $40.4 million contract extension.
Driving Style and Strengths
Nesmith is best known as a high-volume, high-efficiency shooter from the perimeter, ranking among the NBA’s most accurate three-point specialists during the 2024–25 season. He complements his shooting with active rebounding, hard-nosed defense, and a willingness to dive for loose balls, traits that have made him a favorite of head coach Rick Carlisle. His near 50–40–90 season illustrated how well-rounded his offensive game has become.
Notable Events and Milestones
Two milestones stand out in Nesmith’s career so far. The first was reaching the 2022 NBA Finals as a member of the Boston Celtics, where his team lost to the Golden State Warriors in six games. The second was his starring role in Game 1 of the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals, when his six consecutive three-pointers in the final five minutes of regulation powered the Pacers past the New York Knicks on the way to an Eastern Conference title.
Aaron Nesmith Career Wins
Nesmith’s most significant team accomplishment to date is helping the Indiana Pacers win the 2025 Eastern Conference championship, which earned the franchise a trip to the 2025 NBA Finals. Earlier in his career, as a member of the Boston Celtics, he was part of the roster that reached the 2022 NBA Finals.
NBA Highlights
Nesmith’s defining NBA highlight came in Game 1 of the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals, when he scored 30 points and hit eight of nine three-point attempts against the New York Knicks. He also posted a then-career-high 26 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers in October 2023, just after agreeing to a three-year, $33 million contract extension with the Pacers. Earlier, on February 15, 2022, he recorded an 18-point performance in a win over the Philadelphia 76ers, his career high at the time as a Celtic.
Other Wins and Performances
At Vanderbilt, Nesmith led the Commodores in scoring in conference play as a freshman and finished his abbreviated sophomore season as the fifth-leading scorer in NCAA Division I. At Porter-Gaud, he won three SCISA Class 3A state championships and was a three-time SCISA Class 3A Player of the Year, capping his senior year as the South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year.
Aaron Nesmith Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Detailed information about Aaron Joshua Nesmith’s parents and any racing or athletic lineage is not publicly documented in verified sources. He grew up in Charleston, South Carolina, and developed his game at Porter-Gaud School alongside classmates and teammates in the local basketball community.
Personal Life
Nesmith keeps his personal life largely private, and verified public details about a spouse or children are not available. He is active on social media, with public accounts on X (formerly Twitter) at @aaronnesmith24 and on Instagram at @aaron_nesmith, where he shares updates from his basketball career.
2025 Season Performance
The 2024–25 NBA season was the breakout year of Nesmith’s career. He shot 50.7 percent from the field, 43.1 percent from three-point range, and 91.3 percent from the free throw line, narrowly missing the 50–40–90 club. He became a regular starter for the Indiana Pacers and a key complement to Tyrese Haliburton in head coach Rick Carlisle’s offense.
His impact peaked in the playoffs, when he scored a career-high 30 points in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Knicks, hitting eight of nine three-pointers and making six straight threes in the final five minutes of regulation to erase a 14-point deficit in a 138–135 overtime win. Indiana finished off New York in six games to win the Eastern Conference title and advance to the 2025 NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Finals appearance was Nesmith’s second, after the 2022 loss to the Golden State Warriors as a member of the Boston Celtics.
Following the season, Nesmith’s future in Indiana was secured on October 20, 2025, when he and the Pacers agreed to a two-year, $40.4 million contract extension. With his role in the Pacers’ system firmly established and his shooting splits among the best in the league, Nesmith is positioned as a long-term building block for a Pacers team that has now reached the NBA Finals in consecutive seasons.
