Darius Garland

Darius Kinnard Garland (born January 26, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers 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.

On December 23, 2015, as a sophomore, he claimed most valuable player (MVP) honors at the King of the Bluegrass Holiday Classic, after scoring 23 points versus Fairdale High School in the title game.

Garland averaged 18.6 points and 4.3 assists per game and earned TSSAA Division II-AA Mr. Basketball accolades.

High school sports website MaxPreps also included him in its Sophomore All-American Team honorable mention.

In March 2017, Garland garnered Naismith Trophy High School All-America honorable mention recognition.

He averaged 23.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game and led his team to a 30–2 record and state championship.

Garland additionally earned MaxPreps Junior All-American first team distinction.

On November 13, 2017, he committed to play college basketball for Vanderbilt, drawn there by its proximity to his home and head coach Bryce Drew.

Entering his senior season, Garland appeared in the USA Today All-USA preseason team.

He averaged 27.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.7 steals and secured a fourth straight state title for Brentwood Academy, tying the TSSAA record.

Garland joined the MaxPreps High School All-American third team and became the only player other than Brandan Wright to win Tennessee Mr. Basketball on three occasions.

He was a five-star recruit, ranked among the best point guards in the 2018 class, and a McDonald's All-American.

Garland committed to Vanderbilt as the best recruit in program history.

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.

Garland was born in Gary, Indiana, to Felicia Garland and former NBA player Winston Garland.

He grew up playing baseball and started basketball at age five but soon narrowed down his focus to only the latter sport.

Garland continued with basketball in elementary school and scored his first basket in second grade.

In third grade, he attended basketball camps in Valparaiso, Indiana led by Bryce Drew, who would become his college coach at Vanderbilt.

Garland played on a travel team against older opponents and joined an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) squad based in Nashville, Tennessee when he was in fourth grade, because none of the local teams met his standards.

After he completed sixth grade, his family moved to Tennessee so that he could attend Brentwood Academy in Brentwood, Tennessee with his AAU teammates Gavin Schoenwald and Camron Johnson.

Garland's father described, "We had always talked about relocating. My mother had lived in Tennessee and she liked it. I just talked to the family and everybody was on board. It was a big leap of faith."

Garland joined the starting lineup for the Brentwood Academy varsity basketball team while in eighth grade.

In his freshman season, he averaged 17 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game, leading his team to a Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) Division II-AA state championship.

Garland was one of three finalists for Tennessee Mr. Basketball among Division II-AA players.

From his sophomore to junior year, he grew 2½ inches, and by his fourth season with Brentwood Academy, he was ranked the best point guard in the 2018 class by recruiting service 247Sports.

In March 2018, he was named Gatorade Tennessee Player of the Year and a semifinalist for the Naismith Trophy.

On March 28, Garland recorded a game-high 11 assists at the 2018 McDonald's All-American Game.

He took part in the Jordan Brand Classic and Nike Hoop Summit as well.

Garland entered the 2018–19 season as the best recruit to ever sign with Vanderbilt.

He was the only freshman in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) to make the preseason all-conference team.

On November 6, 2018, in his first college game against Winthrop, Garland led all scorers with 24 points.

In a 79–70 win over Liberty on November 19, he scored a season-high 33 points, the second-most points by a freshman in school history.

Garland injured his knee during a layup versus Kent State on November 23 and left the game early.

Four days later, Vanderbilt head coach Bryce Drew revealed that Garland would be sidelined for the remainder of the season with a meniscus injury.

On January 22, 2019, he announced that he would leave Vanderbilt to recover from his injury and prepare for the 2019 NBA draft.

Garland later became one of 77 total invitees to take part in the NBA Draft Combine.