Mike Harris is an American-born professional basketball player. Mike Harris rose to prominence after spending several years in international competitions. He last played in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) League for the Magnolia Hotshots as a small forward.
Harris did not give up after being undrafted in the 2005 NBA draft and initially explored a career in Ukraine.
He has represented many clubs in nations such as China, Puerto Rico, Lebanon, and others over the years.
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Childhood, Family, and Education
Mike Harris was born in Hillsboro, Texas, in the United States on June 15, 1983.
His parents, Wendell Harris (Father) and Cheryl Brooks(Mother) are his only children.
Mike grew up in the small town of Hillsboro, where he learned about everything.
Wendell’s father worked as a construction worker, and his poor earnings were barely enough to keep the family of three afloat.
He was also an alcoholic who frequently mistreated Cheryl.
He used to throw everything he could get his hands on at her since he was so dangerous.
Cheryl felt she couldn’t take any more of Wendell’s abuse when Harris was two years old.
As a result, she left him and moved to a new neighborhood near Hillsboro with her mother and sister, taking Mike with her.
Mike grew up in a happy home, thus he had a decent upbringing. He loved spending time with his grandmother and listening to her lovely stories.
Cheryl, his mother, used to work in the outdoors.
As a result, he used to assist the ladies at home with household chores such as cooking, cleaning, and so on. Similarly, they were devout Christians who went to church every Sunday.
Being Raised by a Strong Woman
Harris was a hard worker who constantly received good results in his exams.
He went to Hillsboro High School in the same town, where he excelled. In addition, he was an avid participant in athletics.
His mother was an athlete in her teens and taught him how to shoot and dribble when he was little.
She also taught him everything there is to know about life and dreams.
She, on the other hand, did not survive long enough to watch him achieve success in life.
He was a freshman in high school when she died. Despite her death, he resumed his schooling and graduated in 2001.
He continued his education at Rice University in Houston until 2005. He worked a variety of part-time jobs to help pay for his college tuition and other necessities, such as mowing grass and collecting trash cans.
Age, Weight & Height
As of 2022, Mike Harris is 38 years old.
About his physical stats, Harris stands 1.98 meters (6 feet 6 inches) tall and weighs around 235 lb (107 kg).
Facts of Mike Harris
| Full Name | Michael Harris |
| Known As | Mike Harris |
| Date of Birth | June 15, 1983 |
| Birth Place | Hillsboro, Texas, the USA |
| Nick Name | Not available |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | African-American |
| Zodiac Sign | Gemini |
| Age | 38 years old |
| Height | 1.98 m (6 feet 6 inches) |
| Weight | 235 lb (107 kg) |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Eye Color | Black |
| Build | Athletic |
| Father’s Name | Wendell Harris |
| Mother’s Name | Cheryl Brooks |
| Siblings | None |
| Education |
|
| Marital Status | Married |
| Sexual Orientation | Straight |
| Wife’s name | Not available |
| Kids | Not available |
| Profession | Basketball player |
| NBA Draft | 2005 / Undrafted |
| Position | Small forward |
| League | Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) |
| Active Years | (2005 – Present) |
| Net Worth (estimated) | $2 million |
| Recent club | Magnolia Hotshots |
| Jersey Number | 52 |
| Social Media | Not available |
| Merch | Rice University Owls NCAA Basketball T-shirt |
| Last Update | May 2022 |
Earnings & Net Worth
Mike Harris is reported to have a net worth of around $2 million.
Despite the fact that he played basketball for over fifteen years, he earned significantly less than his peers due to his inability to stay in the NBA.
He went abroad after playing in some NBA regular matches and NBA minor leagues.
Harris, on the other hand, was regarded as the best import athlete in the overseas league, and thus received a much higher salary.
His annual salary in some foreign leagues, such as the CBA League, was nearly $1 million.
So, he traveled across various countries to play club basketball and accumulated a lot of money. But, of course, it was lesser than he would have wanted to make.
Anyways, he has a far better life than he had in the past and owns a comfortable house in Houston, Texas.
Basketball Career
Careers in High School and College
Mike attended Hillsboro High School in Hillsboro, Texas, and developed into a competent basketball player.
He returned to the school squad the day after his mother died. He began practicing as normal because it was something his mother had taught him, namely, not to allow unpleasant events get in the way of achieving one’s goals.
As a result, he excelled throughout high school and went on to play basketball at Rice University in college. Mike was a standout performer from the start of his freshman season, putting up impressive numbers.
He promptly paired up with Jason McKrieth, who had a similar personal situation to him, and the two rapidly became the Rice Owls’ leading scorers and rebounders.
In his rookie season, Harris averaged 12.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game.
Furthermore, his performance continued to improve in later seasons, and his head coaches were certain that he would make it to the NBA.
He was a four-year starter for the Rice Owls and finished with the all-time greatest scores in school history.
He averaged 20.6 points and 11.7 rebounds per game during his final season.
Professional Life
Contrary to popular belief, Harris was not selected by an NBA team in the 2005 draft, thus he headed to Ukraine to make his professional league debut.
He then spent a year with BC Kyiv in the Ukrainian Super League.
In 2006, he came to the United States to try his luck with the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks allowed him to play in five preseason games, but he struggled.
As a result, he was released prior to the start of the 2006-07 season.
After this failed experiment, he spent some time with the Colorado 14ers in the NBA D-League. Harris went on to play in the NBA D-League for a couple of different teams until 2010.
However, he traveled to Chinese and other international leagues in the meanwhile because they paid far higher than NBA minor league clubs.
But he stayed in America for a few more years, attempting but failing to gain a spot in the NBA.
Despite the fact that he played for three different NBA teams, including his native Houston team, his performance was not very spectacular.
As a result, he spent most of his playing career in the Chinese Basketball League, the Puerto Rican Basketball Leagues, and other Asian leagues.
In addition, he was a huge success in his international endeavors, winning multiple league championships and numerous notable player honors in big leagues.
He was most recently a member of the PBA’s Magnolia Hotshots in the Philippines, where he was a well-known athlete.
Personal Life
Mike Harris has a huge fan following in countries other than the USA, where he spent most of his productive times.
So, his fans wish to know about his personal life, but unfortunately, he wants to avoid personal questions as much as possible.
However, we have learned that he is a married man and is very happy with his wife. She lives in his Houston house in Texas and is engaged in community service programs as per the media.
Besides that, there are no reliable personal details about the player in media outlets. So, his personal life is still a secret to many of us.
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Kind-Hearted
Mike is not only a good sportsperson but a kind-hearted man as well. He is well-known among his fans as someone who would always help needy people.
In 2018, when he was in the Philippines for Alaska Aces of the PBA, a video of him buying food for the street children surfaced on the Internet.
The clip was uploaded by Alma Agravante Pangaibat and was shared almost 15,000 times as of posting time. It also had more than 10,000 reactions and more than 800 comments.
However, he does not want to feel special because he did what he had to do.
He had come from a family with lower economic background, so he knew very well about life on the streets.
Likewise, he remarked that he and his wife did much charitable work back in America.
His wife, too, encourages him to help people and supports him. But, he thinks that one should not engage in philanthropy to show off in public.
Furthermore, he cleared that he never had the intention to be viral for doing such work. Anyway, it eventually did, and perhaps, it inspired his fans.
