Khris Middleton

At 32 years old, Khris Middleton has this physical status:

James Khristian Middleton (born August 12, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

He attended Porter-Gaud School, where he was coached by John Pearson.

As a junior and senior, he was named South Carolina Player of the Year, and was a McDonald's All-American nominee.

He went on to play college basketball for Texas A&M University, where he started the majority of the games in his freshman year.

In his sophomore season, he earned second-team All-Big 12 honors after leading the Aggies in scoring with 14.3 points per game.

Middleton was selected by the Detroit Pistons with the 39th overall pick of the 2012 NBA draft.

He received his first All-Star selection in 2019.

Early life and high school

Middleton was born on August 12, 1991 in Charleston, South Carolina to James and Nichelle Middleton. He has one older sister named Brittney, and his cousin, Josh Powell, has played in the NBA. Another cousin, Kenny Manigault, played basketball for Wichita State University and was teammates with Middleton on the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) team Carolina Celtics. Two other teammates on the Carolina Celtics accepted Division I basketball scholarships, Jamal Curry (Radford) and Devin Booker (Clemson).

Middleton attended Porter-Gaud School and played basketball for the Cyclones under coach John Pearson. As a sophomore, he averaged 12 points and eight rebounds per game. In his junior season, Middleton posted averages of 21 points and 8.6 rebounds per game and was named state player of the year. He repeated as player of the year as a senior, scoring 22.4 points per game and grabbing 8.6 rebounds per game in leading Porter-Gaud to the state title game. Middleton was named Most Valuable Player of the Porter-Gaud Holiday Classic, scoring 22 points in the championship. He was nominated for the 2009 McDonald's All-American Boys Game, but was not selected to participate.

ESPN ranked him the 64th best prospect in the Class of 2009, and noted he was the best shooter at his position. Middleton was recruited by Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, South Carolina, Michigan, and Saint Joseph's. He chose Texas A&M, and signed with the Aggies on May 30, 2008. He liked the college town atmosphere, and got along well with the coaching staff.

Personal life

Middleton is a Christian.

On July 7, 2015, Middleton penned a column in The Players' Tribune about the Charleston church shooting. He explained that the shooting affected him deeply because he grew up in Charleston and his grandmother Juanita knew four of the nine people who died. Middleton had met one of the victims, Cynthia Hurd, as she dropped her nephew off at a basketball camp not long before the shooting. "In Charleston, we're staying strong, but the wounds are still deep," he wrote.

On April 23, 2019, Middleton and his girlfriend Samantha Dutton welcomed their first daughter, Audrielle. In order to be there for the birth, Middleton got on a plane to Milwaukee with Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry immediately after a playoff win over the Detroit Pistons.

On March 13, 2020, Middleton said he would match Giannis Antetokounmpo's $100,000 donation to the staff of the Fiserv Forum who were unable to work during the suspension of the 2019–20 NBA season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On April 8, 2021, it was announced that he was joining the ownership group of the Brisbane Bullets, a professional basketball team in Australia.

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College career

Middleton was recruited by Texas A&M assistant coach Scott Spinelli before. Middleton is expected to fill the three-point shooting void left by senior Josh Carter as he enters his freshman year. Middleton's college career began slowly, with 1-of-12 field goals in limited action of his first three games. Middleton was compelled to play a bigger part in the offense and started 18 of the last 20 games after suffering a season-ending leg injury to Derrick Roland on December 11, 2009. He scored 16 points to help Texas A&M beat Missouri 77-74, despite an 11-point second half deficit. Middleton won by 69-53 in the NCAA Tournament Round of 64 over Utah State, scoring a season-high 19 points on 7-of-10 shootings. The Aggies finished with a record of 24–10. Texas A&M's season came to an end in the Round of 32 to Purdue. Khris Middleton averaged 7.2 points and 3.7 rebounds per game, leading the team in scoring five times.

Middleton, a sophomore, led the team and finished ninth in the Big 12 in scoring at 14.3 points per game while still delivering 5.2 rebounds per game. He made 46% of his shots from the ground and 74% of his free throws, while the others were 78 percent. Middleton scored in excess of ten points in 27 games and led the team in scoring 16 times. In a 71–62 overtime victory over Arkansas, he scored a career-high 31 points, including 11 of the team's last 12 points in regulation. During the week of December 13-19, 2010, Bob Robertson National Player of the Week and Big 12 Player of the Week honors were given. Middleton defeated Missouri 91–89 on January 15, 2011, scoring 28 points, 11 in overtime, with 11 in overtime.

In the NCAA Tournament Round of 64 to Florida State 57–50, Middleton-led Texas A&M defeated in a game in which Middleton scored 16 points. At the conclusion of the regular season, he was selected to the All-Big 12 Second Team. Middleton was welcomed to the 10-man All-District VII team, which covers college basketball players in Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana by the United States Basketball Writers Association. The National Association of Basketball Coaches selected him as an All-Eighth District second-team pick, making him eligible for the State Farm Division I All-America teams. Since the Big 12 Conference was held in its own area, this is equivalent to being named second team All-Big 12 by the NABC.

Prior to Middleton's junior season, head coach Mark Turgeon left to take the University of Maryland and was replaced by Billy Kennedy of Murray State. Middleton was captivated by Kennedy's coaching acumen and opted to remain an Aggie. He was included on the Wooden Award's preseason watch list. Middleton was unanimously selected to the preseason All-Big 12 squad.

Despite being the league co-favorite in the season, Texas A&M finished 14-18 overall and 4-14 in the Big 12. Middleton was forced to miss 12 games due to a rash of injuries, including a knee injury that required the team to miss 12. He averaged 13.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, down from the previous season. Middleton declared for the NBA Draft on April 9, 2012, the last season of collegiate eligibility. In a tweet, he thanked Texas A&M.

Professional career

Middleton was selected by the Detroit Pistons with the 39th overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft. He signed his rookie scale with the Pistons on August 15, 2012. He was assigned to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA Development League, which is now known as the G League, on December 12, 2012. The Pistons recalled him a week later. He played just 27 games for the Pistons in his rookie season, despite averaging 6.1 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 17.6 minutes per game.

Middleton was traded by Brandon Knight and Viacheslav Kravtsov to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for guard Brandon Jennings on July 31, 2013. Middleton played all 82 games in 2013–14, including 1.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.0 steals in 30.0 minutes per game, despite his limited participation in 2012–13. In a 109-105 victory over the Washington Wizards on December 6, 2013, he scored a then-high 29 points, beating them by 109–105.

The Bucks were down by one point to the Phoenix Suns in under four seconds in regulation on December 15, 2014, when Middleton defeated the Suns by a controversial game-winning buzzer beater, 96-94, with Middleton finishing with 14 points. In a 91–85 victory over the Washington Wizards, he scored a then-career-high 30 points on 11-of-20 shooting on March 7, 2015. Middleton made a strong "3-and-D" player in his second season with the Bucks, shooting 46.7 percent from the ground and 40.7 percent from behind the three-point arc in his second season with the Bucks, shooting 46.7 percent from the floor and 40.7 percent from behind the three-point arc. He had an average of 13.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game.

Middleton re-signed with the Bucks to a five-year, $70 million contract, with a player option for the fifth year on July 9, 2015. This was a significant pay increase for Middleton, who had earned $915,000 last year. He scored a career-high 36 points on 13-of-22 from the field and 6-of-9 from three-point range on December 29, 2015, in a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. In a victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 4, 2016, he scored 32 points on 11-of-16 shooting, including 8-of-9 on three-pointers, marking the most three-pointers made by a Bucks player since Carlos Delfino had eight on March 18, 2011. In a 109-108 overtime victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on April 10, 2016, he tied his career high of 36 points.

Middleton was out for six months after suffering a left hamstring injury during preseason workouts that required surgery. In a 106-88 loss to the Miami Heat, he made his season debut after missing the first 50 games due to the hamstring injury. In the Bucks' 107-103 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on March 17, 2017, he scored 14 of his season-high 30 points in the fourth quarter.

Middleton lost 126–121 to the Charlotte Hornets on November 1, 2017, scoring a career-high 43 points. In a 113-107 victory over the Phoenix Suns on November 22, 2017, he scored 40 points in a 113–107 overtime victory. In a 116–94 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, he had his first triple double with 23 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists. Middleton lost by 31 points, eight rebounds, and six assists in Game 1 of the Bucks' first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics. Despite Middleton's 32 points in a 112–96 loss in Game 7, the Bucks went on to lose the series in seven games.

Middleton beat the New York Knicks 124-113 on October 22, 2018, hitting 7 of 8 3-pointers and finishing with 30 points. Middleton defeated the Brooklyn Nets 129-115 on December 29, despite a quad injury. Middleton was named an Eastern Conference All-Star reserve on January 31, 2019, resulting in his first All-Star pick. He was the first G League alum to be named an All-Star. In a 98–97 victory over the Celtics, he had 15 points and a season-high 13 rebounds on February 21, 2019. In a 128-118 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on March 28, he scored a season-high 39 points.

Middleton signed a five-year, $178 million contract extension with Milwaukee following the 2018-19 season. In a 151-131 victory over the Washington Wizards on January 28, 2020, Middleton reached a new career high by scoring 51 points, including 7 of 10 on 3-pointers, making 16 of 26 shots, including 7 of 10 on 3-pointers. Middleton paid tribute to Kobe Bryant, who died in a California helicopter crash two days before, saying, "I definitely will dedicate the game to him as a thank you for what he did for the game." Middleton was named an Eastern Conference All-Star reserve on January 30, 2020, his second straight All-Star selection. Middleton defeated the Wizards by 137-134 on February 24, scoring 40 points. Middleton played against the Oklahoma City Thunder on February 28 due to neck pain. The eventual Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat in five games eliminated Middleton and the Bucks in the Semi-Finals in the postseason. In Game 4, Middleton defeated Milwaukee by a score of 36 points, as well as 8 rebounds and 8 assists.

Middleton continued to play a key role on the Bucks, with a career-high 5.4 assists per game, and 6 rebounds per game during the regular season. Milwaukee won by 109-107 with a 1–0 series lead in Game 1, Middleton's 27-point, 6-rebound, and 6-assist display continued with a game-winning fadeaway jumper with 0.5 seconds left in overtime. In four games, the Bucks will progress to the series. Middleton defeated the Brooklyn Nets 104-89 in Game 6 of the Conference Semifinals, with 38 points, ten rebounds, five assists, and five steals. Middleton led the Atlanta Hawks to a 113-102 victory in Game 3 of the Conference Finals, scoring his career-high 38 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists. Middleton defeated the Hawks by 32 points in Game 6 of the Conference Finals, putting the Bucks up by 32 points for the first time since 1974. He scored a career-high 40 points in Game 4 of the Finals to help the Phoenix Suns beat the Phoenix Suns. Middleton won the NBA championship in 1954-1992, giving Middleton his first championship and fifth assists in Game 6.

Middleton defeated the Brooklyn Nets 127–104 in the first game of the 2021-21 NBA season. Middleton began the NBA's health and safety program on November 1 after testing positive for COVID-19. Middleton returned to the Bucks on November 17 after missing eight games. He scored 16 points and six assists, tying Ray Allen for the most made three-pointers in Milwaukee Bucks history. In the next game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on November 19, he defeated Allen with his first shot in a 96-89 victory. Middleton strained his knee in a loss against the Boston Celtics on December 13, and he missed the following three games. The Bucks defeated the Sacramento Kings 133-127 on January 22, 2022, a season-high 34 points. Middleton was selected as an All-Star for the 2022 NBA All-Star Game on February 3. Middleton defeated the Phoenix Suns 132-122 on March 6, scoring a season-high 44 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists.

Middleton sustained a medial collateral ligament sprain during Milwaukee's first round postseason match against Chicago on April 20, which sidelined him for the remainder of the playoffs. In five games, the Bucks defeated the Bulls, but in seven games, the Celtics lost the Eastern Conference semifinals to the Celtics.

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