Devonte’ Graham Bio
Devonte’ Terrell Graham (born February 22, 1995) is an American professional basketball player who most recently played for Crvena zvezda Meridianbet of the Basketball League of Serbia (KLS), the ABA League, and the EuroLeague. A point guard standing 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) and weighing 195 lb (88 kg), he is best known for a college career at Kansas that ended with consensus first-team All-American honors. He went on to play in the NBA with the Charlotte Hornets, New Orleans Pelicans, and San Antonio Spurs before continuing his professional career overseas.
Early Life and Background
Devonte’ Terrell Graham was born on February 22, 1995, in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he grew up and developed his early love for basketball. He attended Broughton High School in Raleigh, finishing his senior season with averages of 15.7 points and 5.4 assists per game while leading the program to a 26–6 record and a 4A state championship game appearance in 2012–13.
Originally committed to Appalachian State, Graham asked to be released from his pledge. The Appalachian State head coach at the time, Jason Capel, declined to grant the release, so Graham opted to play a postgraduate year at Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, instead of honoring his commitment. There he averaged 17.2 points and 5.0 assists per game and led the team to both the national prep championship and the New England championship in 2013–14. On May 2, 2014, Graham committed to Kansas, choosing the Jayhawks over North Carolina State and Virginia.
Path to Basketball
Graham’s postgraduate year at Brewster Academy was the springboard that put him on the radar of major college programs. His strong play in 2013–14, combined with his success in leading Broughton to the state title game a year earlier, helped him earn a spot in Bill Self’s recruiting class at Kansas. The competition he faced against top prep talent at Brewster sharpened his scoring and playmaking before he arrived in Lawrence.
He joined the Kansas Jayhawks for the 2014–15 season and grew into one of the Big 12 Conference’s most respected guards by the time he graduated. Over four seasons he developed into a floor general capable of running a high-major offense at a high tempo, setting the stage for his decision to enter the 2018 NBA draft.
Devonte’ Graham Career
Early Career (2014–2018)
As a freshman at Kansas in 2014–15, Graham averaged 5.7 points and 2.1 assists per game. He scored a season-high 20 points against TCU on February 21, 2015, and added 17 points against Wichita State in the NCAA Tournament. By his sophomore year he had become a key piece of the Jayhawks’ rotation, averaging 11.3 points per game while shooting 46 percent from the field and 44 percent from three-point range.
His breakout sophomore season included a 27-point performance against Oklahoma that earned him Big 12 Player of the Week honors on February 14, 2016, a spot on the Big 12 All-Defensive Team, and the 2016 Big 12 tournament MVP award after scoring 27 points against West Virginia in the championship game. As a junior he earned Second Team All-Big 12 recognition and helped Kansas go 31–5 before a season-ending Elite Eight loss to Oregon in which he went 0 for 7 from the field.
Kansas Senior Season and Draft (2017–2018)
Graham was named the preseason Big 12 Player of the Year for 2017–18 and delivered one of the most productive senior seasons in program history. He scored a career-high 35 points in a 96–58 win over Toledo on November 28, 2017, then matched that 35-point total in a 76–60 win over Syracuse in the next game. He was unanimously selected as the Big 12 Player of the Year, averaging 17.6 points and 7.2 assists per game while logging about 38 minutes a night.
His senior year also brought consensus first-team All-American honors and a trip to the 2018 Final Four in San Antonio, Texas. He entered the 2018 NBA draft and was selected in the second round, 34th overall, by the Atlanta Hawks, who immediately traded him to the Charlotte Hornets for two second-round picks.
Charlotte Hornets Era (2018–2021)
Graham made his NBA debut on October 22, 2018, against the Toronto Raptors, recording no points and one assist in five and a half minutes. After missing the rest of summer league with a knee injury, he spent parts of his first season with the Greensboro Swarm, Charlotte’s NBA G League affiliate, while learning the NBA game at the parent club.
He took a major leap in 2019–20, averaging 18.2 points and 7.5 assists per game, the latter figure ranking eighth in the NBA, and finishing fifth in the league’s Most Improved Player voting. On October 23, 2019, he scored 23 points with eight assists and four rebounds in a 126–125 win over the Chicago Bulls, hitting six three-pointers as the Hornets set a franchise single-game record for made threes. He set a career high with 40 points, five rebounds, and five assists in a 113–108 win over the Brooklyn Nets on December 11, 2019. Off the court, he was featured on The Dodo’s YouTube channel in June 2021 for a video about his career and his German Shepherd, Charlotte, named after the Hornets.
New Orleans Pelicans Era (2021–2023)
On August 7, 2021, Graham was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in a three-team deal that also involved the Memphis Grizzlies. He debuted for New Orleans on October 20, 2021, scoring 18 points with five assists in a 117–97 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. Two clutch late-game moments defined his Pelicans tenure: a game-winning three-pointer with 1.9 seconds left that gave New Orleans a 98–97 win over the Utah Jazz on November 26, 2021, and a 61-foot buzzer-beater in a 113–110 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on December 15, 2021, which set the NBA record for the longest buzzer-beating game-winner in league history, surpassing Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf’s 55-footer in 1992.
He posted a season-high 30 points, two rebounds, and four assists in a 126–109 win over the Chicago Bulls on March 24, 2022, then helped the Pelicans reach the playoffs for the first time since 2018 after a run of play-in tournament victories. He made his playoff debut on April 17, 2022, playing ten minutes in a 110–99 Game 1 loss to the Phoenix Suns.
San Antonio Spurs Era (2023–2024)
Graham was traded to the San Antonio Spurs on February 9, 2023, along with four second-round picks, in exchange for Josh Richardson. A day later he scored a season-high 31 points with three rebounds and three assists in a 138–131 double-overtime loss to the Detroit Pistons, a debut total that set a Spurs franchise record for most points in a first game with the team.
On August 2, 2023, Graham was suspended for two games without pay after pleading guilty to a DWI charge. He later hit a game-winning shot in a 121–120 victory over the Denver Nuggets on April 12, 2024. On July 6, 2024, he was traded back to the Charlotte Hornets with a future second-round pick for cap space and was waived immediately, then signed with the Portland Trail Blazers on July 31 before being waived on October 17 after two preseason games.
South Bay Lakers Era (2024–2025)
On December 13, 2024, Graham signed with the South Bay Lakers, the NBA G League affiliate of the Los Angeles Lakers. He was later moved on February 11, 2025, when he was traded, along with Vincent Valerio-Bodon and a future second-round pick, to the Rip City Remix in exchange for Stanley Johnson.
Crvena zvezda Era (2025)
On August 1, 2025, Graham signed with Crvena zvezda of the Basketball League of Serbia, the ABA League, and the EuroLeague, continuing his professional career in Europe. On January 31, 2026, Graham and the club agreed to mutually part ways.
Driving Style and Strengths
Graham is a scoring lead guard whose game is built on pull-up three-point shooting, pick-and-roll command, and a steady, high-minute workload. At Kansas he logged roughly 38 minutes a game as a senior, an indication of his conditioning and his coaches’ trust in his ball-handling and decision-making. His career-best 7.5 assists per game in 2019–20 underscored his growth into a true floor general for the Charlotte Hornets.
Notable Events and Milestones
Graham’s 61-foot buzzer-beater against the Oklahoma City Thunder on December 15, 2021, stands as the longest buzzer-beating game-winner in NBA history, surpassing Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf’s 1992 mark. His 31-point Spurs debut on February 10, 2023, set a franchise record for most points in a first game with San Antonio, and his 40-point outing against Brooklyn on December 11, 2019, marked the high point of his three seasons with the Charlotte Hornets.
Devonte’ Graham Career Wins
Across his college and professional career, Devonte’ Graham has built a résumé highlighted by the 2016 Big 12 tournament title and MVP, a 2018 Final Four run at Kansas, the 2017–18 Big 12 Player of the Year award, and consensus first-team All-American honors. In the NBA he set the Charlotte Hornets’ franchise record for made three-pointers in a single game in October 2019 and set the league-wide record for the longest buzzer-beating game-winner in December 2021 while with the New Orleans Pelicans.
Big 12 Conference Highlights
Graham was named Big 12 tournament MVP in 2016 after leading Kansas to the conference title with 27 points in the championship game against West Virginia. He was a Big 12 All-Defensive Team selection that same season, earned Second Team All-Big 12 honors in 2017, and capped his career as the unanimous 2017–18 Big 12 Player of the Year.
Other Wins & Performances
At the high school level, Graham led Broughton High School to a 4A state championship game appearance in 2012–13, then guided Brewster Academy to both the national prep championship and the New England championship in 2013–14. In the NBA he delivered multiple game-winning shots for the Charlotte Hornets, New Orleans Pelicans, and San Antonio Spurs, and his senior season at Kansas ended with a 2018 Final Four appearance in San Antonio, Texas.
Devonte’ Graham Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Graham grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he attended Broughton High School before continuing his basketball development at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire. He has been described in coverage of his career as a family-oriented player who often speaks about the support system that surrounded him as a young guard in North Carolina, though specific family details beyond his hometown roots are not widely documented in public sources.
Personal Life
Public information about Graham’s personal life centers on his residence in the cities where his basketball career has taken him, most recently in Europe after his NBA stops in Charlotte, New Orleans, San Antonio, and the G League. He has been featured in media coverage for his close relationship with his German Shepherd dog, Charlotte, who is named after the Charlotte Hornets franchise and was the subject of a 2021 feature on The Dodo’s YouTube channel.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 calendar year marked a significant transition for Devonte’ Graham, beginning with his time on the South Bay Lakers roster in the NBA G League. He signed with the South Bay Lakers on December 13, 2024, and was later dealt on February 11, 2025, to the Rip City Remix as part of a trade that also sent Vincent Valerio-Bodon and a future second-round pick to Portland in exchange for Stanley Johnson.
On August 1, 2025, Graham took his career overseas by signing with Crvena zvezda of the Basketball League of Serbia, the ABA League, and the EuroLeague, joining one of the most storied clubs in European basketball. The move gave him a chance to compete for trophies on a continental stage after several seasons of searching for a stable NBA role.
Graham’s tenure with Crvena zvezda ultimately proved short, as he and the club agreed to mutually part ways on January 31, 2026. The 2025 portion of that chapter nevertheless represented his first sustained run in a top European league and a fresh start after his time in the G League.
