Khris Middleton Bio
James Khristian Middleton, known professionally as Khris Middleton, is an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A versatile small forward, Middleton has been a three-time NBA All-Star and won an NBA championship with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021. He also captured an Olympic gold medal with the United States men’s national team at the 2020 Tokyo Games. Standing 6 feet 7 inches tall and weighing 222 pounds, Middleton has built a reputation as a reliable scorer and a steady two-way contributor across more than a decade in the league.
After beginning his career with the Detroit Pistons, Middleton emerged as a central figure for the Bucks over twelve seasons, helping transform the franchise into a title contender. He later played for the Washington Wizards before being traded to the Dallas Mavericks in February 2026, reuniting him with head coach Jason Kidd.
Early Life and Background
Khris Middleton was born on August 12, 1991, in Charleston, South Carolina, to James and Nichelle Middleton. He grew up in the Lowcountry with an older sister named Brittney, and basketball was a constant presence in the family. His cousin Josh Powell played in the NBA and won two championships with the Los Angeles Lakers, while another cousin, Kenny Manigault, played for Wichita State University and teamed with Middleton on the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Carolina Celtics. Two other Carolina Celtics teammates, Jamal Curry and Devin Booker, also earned Division I basketball scholarships.
Middleton attended Porter-Gaud School in Charleston, where he played for the Cyclones under coach John Pearson. As a sophomore, he averaged 12 points and 8 rebounds per game. His junior year brought averages of 21 points and 8.6 rebounds, and he was named state player of the year. As a senior, he repeated as player of the year, posting 22.4 points and 8.6 rebounds per game and leading Porter-Gaud to the state title game. He was named Most Valuable Player of the Porter-Gaud Holiday Classic, scoring 22 points in the championship, and was nominated for the 2009 McDonald’s All-American Boys Game, though he was not selected to participate.
Path to the NBA
ESPN ranked Middleton as the 64th-best recruit in the Class of 2009 and noted he was the best shooter at his position. He was recruited by Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, South Carolina, Michigan and Saint Joseph’s, ultimately choosing Texas A&M and signing with the Aggies on May 30, 2008. He was recruited by then-assistant coach Scott Spinelli and arrived in College Station expected to fill the three-point shooting void left by Josh Carter.
As a freshman, Middleton started 18 of the last 20 games after a season-ending injury to Derrick Roland, scoring 19 points against Utah State in the NCAA tournament and averaging 7.2 points and 3.7 rebounds overall. His sophomore year brought breakout production, with 14.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game, second-team All-Big 12 honors, and a career-high 31 points in an overtime win over Arkansas. After a junior season shortened by a knee injury, Middleton declared for the 2012 NBA draft, forgoing his final year of eligibility.
Khris Middleton Career
Early Career (2012–2013)
The Detroit Pistons selected Middleton with the 39th overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft, and he signed his rookie-scale contract on August 15, 2012. On December 12, 2012, he was assigned to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA Development League to gain playing time. He was recalled a week later and finished his rookie season with 27 games for the Pistons, averaging 6.1 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 17.6 minutes per game. The experience was brief but laid the groundwork for his development as a perimeter shooter.
On July 31, 2013, Middleton was traded, along with Brandon Knight and Viacheslav Kravtsov, to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Brandon Jennings. The change of scenery proved transformative.
Milwaukee Bucks Breakthrough (2013–2025)
In his first full season in Milwaukee, Middleton played all 82 games, starting 64 and averaging 12.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.0 steals in 30.0 minutes per game. He scored a then-career-high 29 points against the Washington Wizards on December 6, 2013, and in 2014–15 he emerged as a key “3-and-D” wing, shooting 46.7 percent from the floor and 40.7 percent from three-point range while averaging 13.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists. On July 9, 2015, he re-signed with the Bucks on a five-year, $70 million contract.
Middleton’s role expanded further in 2015–16, when he set then-career-highs of 36 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder and tied that mark against the Philadelphia 76ers. A torn left hamstring limited him in 2016–17, but he returned in 2017–18 to score a then-career-high 43 points against the Charlotte Hornets and record his first career triple-double against the Philadelphia 76ers. In January 2019, he was named an Eastern Conference All-Star reserve, becoming the first G League alum to earn the honor, and in January 2020 he erupted for 51 points against the Washington Wizards, dedicating the performance to Kobe Bryant.
The 2020–21 season delivered Milwaukee’s ultimate prize. After a playoff run that included a game-winning fadeaway against the Miami Heat, 38 points against the Brooklyn Nets and 40 points in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, Middleton helped the Bucks defeat the Phoenix Suns 4–2 to capture the franchise’s first championship since 1971. He was also part of Team USA’s gold-medal effort at the Tokyo Olympics that summer. He earned a third All-Star selection in 2022, signed a three-year, $102 million extension in 2023, and climbed to third on the Bucks’ all-time scoring list, passing Glenn Robinson in January 2024.
Washington Wizards Era (2025–2026)
On February 6, 2025, Middleton was traded to the Washington Wizards in a four-team deal that sent Kyle Kuzma to Milwaukee. He made his Wizards debut on February 21, 2025, finishing with 12 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals against his former team. Injuries limited him to 14 games in his first Wizards season, in which he averaged 10.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists. He picked up his $33.3 million player option for the 2025–26 campaign and continued in a reserve role before being dealt again in February 2026.
Dallas Mavericks Era (2026–Present)
On February 5, 2026, Middleton was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in a three-team transaction involving the Charlotte Hornets, reuniting him with head coach Jason Kidd. He debuted for Dallas on February 10, 2026, scoring 13 points with five rebounds and two assists in a loss to the Phoenix Suns. On March 12, 2026, he erupted for 35 points off the bench in a victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, the most by a Mavericks reserve since Rodrigue Beaubois in 2010.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among Middleton’s signature moments are his 51-point game against the Washington Wizards in January 2020, his 40-point performance in the 2021 NBA Finals, and the buzzer-beating fadeaway that opened the Bucks’ 2020 playoff series against the Miami Heat. He also became the third-all-time leading scorer in Bucks history and the first former NBA G League player selected as an NBA All-Star.
Khris Middleton Family
Family Background and Personal Life
Middleton is a Christian and a cousin of former NBA player Josh Powell, who won championships with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009 and 2010. On July 7, 2015, he wrote a column for The Players’ Tribune reflecting on the Charleston church shooting, noting that his grandmother, Juanita, knew four of the nine victims, and that he had met Cynthia Graham Hurd at a basketball camp shortly before the tragedy.
On April 23, 2019, Middleton and his girlfriend welcomed their first daughter. To attend the birth, he flew to Milwaukee with Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry immediately after a playoff victory over the Detroit Pistons. In 2021, he joined the ownership group of the Brisbane Bullets, a professional basketball team in Australia’s National Basketball League.
2025 Season Performance
Middleton’s 2024–25 season was split between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Washington Wizards after the February 6, 2025 trade. He appeared in 14 games for the Wizards, averaging 10.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists while adjusting to a reduced role. Health concerns in both legs continued into 2025–26, when he played 34 games for Washington before being dealt to the Dallas Mavericks in February 2026.
For the Mavericks, Middleton provided veteran scoring punch off the bench, highlighted by a 35-point outing against the Memphis Grizzlies on March 12, 2026, that marked the most points by a Dallas reserve in more than 15 years. The reunion with head coach Jason Kidd, who had previously overseen his development in Milwaukee, framed his late-season push toward the playoffs.
