Darius Garland
Two-time NBA All-Star and former Cavaliers guard now with the Clippers.
Darius Kinnard Garland (born January 26, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Vanderbilt Commodores. Born in Gary, Indiana, Garland is the son of former professional basketball player Winston Garland. Garland attended Brentwood Academy in high school, joining the varsity basketball team in eighth grade and leaving as a four-time state champion and three-time Tennessee Mr. Basketball winner. He was a five-star recruit, ranked among the best point guards in the 2018 class, and a McDonald's All-American. He is a two-time NBA All-Star.
- Role
- Point Guard
- Affiliation
- Los Angeles Clippers (Current), Cleveland Cavaliers (Former)
- Draft Status
- 5th Overall Pick (2019 NBA Draft)
- Status
- Active Franchise Cornerstone
- Signature Trait
- Elite Three-Point Shooting and Playmaking
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
Garland committed to Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball. After five games, his college career was cut short by a meniscus injury, which prompted him to leave the team to prepare for the NBA draft. After criticism in his first season due to perceived disappointing play, Garland was named to his first NBA All-Star Game in 2022, and finished third in voting for the NBA's Most Improved Player award the same year. He was named an All-Star again in 2025. Garland was selected with the fifth pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2019 NBA draft. He played for the Cavaliers from 2019 through 2026, then was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. In the 2024–2025 season, he helped the Cavaliers achieve a 64-18 record, the second-best regular-season record in franchise history. During the 2025 playoffs, Garland suffered a left big toe injury that hampered him during Cleveland's playoff exit; he underwent surgery on June 9, 2025.
In Their Own Story
Garland's professional narrative is defined by resilience and explosive scoring bursts. After being excluded from All-Rookie teams due to a difficult first season, he turned things around with a career-high 37 points against the San Antonio Spurs in April 2021. His true breakout arrived on November 13, 2022, when he scored a career-high 51 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves, hitting a personal record of 10 three-pointers and becoming the youngest player to score 50+ with 10+ threes before age 25. This performance was part of a season where he led Cleveland to 44 wins and their first playoff appearance since 2018. By February 4, 2026, after helping the Cavaliers secure the best record in the Eastern Conference (64-18) and earning his second All-Star selection, Garland was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Reader's Guide
Garland is a point guard known for his scoring and playmaking. He scored a career-high 51 points on November 13, 2022, becoming the fourth Cavaliers player to score 50. He also recorded his first career triple-double on January 12, 2022. His college career at Vanderbilt was brief due to a meniscus injury after five games.
Did You Know?
- Garland attended basketball camps in Valparaiso, Indiana led by Bryce Drew in third grade, and later committed to Vanderbilt because of its proximity to his home and head coach Bryce Drew.
- Garland made history in his NBA debut on October 23, 2019, by becoming the first player born in the 2000s to make his NBA debut.
- Garland is the only player other than Brandan Wright to win Tennessee Mr. Basketball on three occasions.
More in Players & Legends
Related in Cleveland Cavaliers
Links follow this subject's own source article.
Elsewhere in the Cleveland Cavaliers universe
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record