Caris LeVert Bio
Caris Coleman LeVert is an American professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Standing 6 feet 7 inches tall and weighing 205 pounds, the guard-forward has built a reputation as a versatile scorer and secondary playmaker since entering the league in 2016. Selected 20th overall by the Indiana Pacers before being traded to the Brooklyn Nets on draft night, LeVert has since played for the Pacers, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Atlanta Hawks.
LeVert played college basketball for the Michigan Wolverines, where he developed into an All-Big Ten performer and helped lead the program to the 2018 national championship game as a junior. Known for his shot-creation ability and length on the perimeter, he has produced multiple 40-point performances and a 51-point game during his professional career.
Early Life and Background
Caris Coleman LeVert was born on August 25, 1994, in Columbus, Ohio. He is the son of Darryl Wayne LeVert and Kim LeVert. His father, who worked as a graphic designer, passed away on April 4, 2010, at the age of 46. LeVert has a younger brother, Darryl Marcus, who is just 11 months younger and went on to play basketball at Connors State College. LeVert grew up in Columbus before his family moved to Pickerington, Ohio, during his second-grade year.
At Pickerington High School Central, LeVert was a standout for the Tigers basketball program. As a senior, he led the team to a 26–2 record and the 2012 OHSAA Division I state championship. His individual honors included selection to the 2012 Associated Press All-Ohio Second Team and the Columbus Dispatch Metro Player of the Year award. One of his high school teammates was future Ohio State forward Jae’Sean Tate.
Despite his productive senior season, LeVert was not a heavily recruited prospect and took only one official visit, to Alabama State. He initially committed to Ohio University and head coach John Groce in November 2011. When Groce left for Illinois in March 2012, LeVert reopened his recruitment and ultimately signed with the Michigan Wolverines.
Path to Basketball
LeVert arrived at Michigan as a lightly regarded recruit in a class that included future pros Mitch McGary and Nik Stauskas. As a freshman in 2012–13, he played sparingly behind Stauskas, Glenn Robinson III, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Matt Vogrich but earned a role as a perimeter defender. By late December of his first year, he became Trey Burke’s one-on-one practice partner, an experience that sharpened his skills as a lead guard.
His sophomore season marked his breakout. LeVert opened 2013–14 with 17 points against UMass Lowell and posted 24-point performances against South Carolina State and Duke. He recorded his first career double-double against Purdue with 14 points and 11 rebounds and was a 2014 Second-Team All-Big Ten selection by both coaches and media. Following the season, he underwent surgery to repair a stress fracture in his foot but returned in time for Michigan’s 2014 summer trip to Italy.
As a junior in 2014–15, LeVert entered the season as a Preseason All-American candidate and a Wooden Award Top 50 selection. He posted a career-high 32 points against NJIT before a left foot injury ended his season in January 2015. After evaluating his draft stock, he elected to return for his senior year, where he recorded a triple-double against Northern Kentucky and surpassed 1,000 career points before recurring foot issues ended his collegiate career in March 2016.
Caris LeVert Career
Early Career (2016–2018)
The day before the 2016 NBA Draft, LeVert authored an open letter to NBA general managers vouching for his resilience. Selected 20th overall by the Indiana Pacers, he was traded to the Brooklyn Nets on July 7, 2016, in exchange for Thaddeus Young. After missing the summer league and preseason while rehabbing his foot, LeVert made his NBA debut on December 7, 2016, against the Denver Nuggets, posting four rebounds and three steals in nine minutes. He scored his first NBA points on December 10 against the San Antonio Spurs and recorded his first 20-point game on April 6, 2017, against the Orlando Magic.
With Jeremy Lin injured for most of 2017–18, LeVert entered the starting lineup and took on backup point guard duties. On December 7, 2017, the first anniversary of his debut, he posted 21 points and 10 assists to lead the Nets past the Oklahoma City Thunder in Mexico City. He later added a 27-point effort against the Los Angeles Clippers and a 19-point, 12-rebound performance against the Miami Heat, establishing himself as a core piece of Brooklyn’s rebuild.
Brooklyn Nets Breakthrough (2018–2021)
LeVert opened the 2018–19 season with a then-career-high 27 points against the Detroit Pistons and surpassed it twice more in the first month, including a 28-point performance capped by a game-winning basket over former Michigan teammate Tim Hardaway Jr. On November 12, 2018, he suffered a severe subtalar dislocation of his right leg against the Minnesota Timberwolves and missed 42 games before returning in February 2019. He closed the season with 23 points in Brooklyn’s first-round playoff win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
On August 26, 2019, LeVert signed a three-year contract extension with the Nets. He opened 2020 with a 37-point game against the Toronto Raptors and then erupted for a career-high 51 points, including 37 in the fourth quarter and overtime, in a 129–120 comeback win over the Boston Celtics. He added his first triple-double, 27 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists, against the San Antonio Spurs on March 6, 2020.
Indiana Pacers Era (2021–2022)
On January 16, 2021, LeVert was part of the four-team trade that sent James Harden to Brooklyn and Victor Oladipo to Houston. An MRI during his physical revealed a small mass on his left kidney, later confirmed as renal cell carcinoma. He underwent successful surgery on January 25, 2021, and made his Pacers debut on March 13, recording 13 points, seven rebounds, and two assists in a 122–111 win over the Phoenix Suns.
Cleveland Cavaliers Era (2022–2025)
Traded to his hometown Cavaliers on February 6, 2022, LeVert made his debut three days later with 11 points off the bench against the San Antonio Spurs. On October 28, 2022, he scored a season-high 41 points in an overtime win over the Boston Celtics, joining Donovan Mitchell as the first Cavaliers pair to each score 40-plus in a game since LeBron James and Kyrie Irving in the 2016 NBA Finals. He re-signed with Cleveland on July 6, 2023, and continued in a scoring role off the bench.
Atlanta Hawks Era (2025)
On February 6, 2025, LeVert was traded, along with Georges Niang, three second-round picks, and two pick swaps, to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for De’Andre Hunter. He scored 25 points off the bench, including a game-winning buzzer-beater against the Memphis Grizzlies on March 3, 2025, and posted a season-high 31 points against the Philadelphia 76ers on April 11, 2025.
Detroit Pistons Era (2025–Present)
On July 8, 2025, LeVert signed a two-year, $29 million contract with the Detroit Pistons, marking his fifth NBA team. The deal positions him as a veteran scoring presence in Detroit’s rebuilding backcourt.
Notable Events and Milestones
LeVert’s career has been marked by significant injury comebacks, including a subtalar dislocation in 2018, kidney surgery in 2021, and recurring foot procedures. His 51-point game against the Boston Celtics on March 3, 2020, ranks as the highest single-game scoring output of his career and underscored his shot-making ceiling.
Caris LeVert Career Wins
While LeVert has yet to capture an individual NBA award or a major team championship, his career has featured numerous signature victories and personal milestones across Brooklyn, Indiana, Cleveland, and Atlanta.
NBA Highlights
LeVert’s most memorable wins include a buzzer-beating 25-point performance against the Memphis Grizzlies as a member of the Atlanta Hawks on March 3, 2025, and a game-winning floater against the Denver Nuggets on November 9, 2018. He also posted 43 points against the Memphis Grizzlies on January 8, 2021, while serving as Brooklyn’s primary option amid widespread injuries.
Other Performances
In college, LeVert helped Michigan win the 2014 Big Ten Conference outright championship, the program’s first since 1985–86, and guided Pickerington Central to the 2012 OHSAA Division I state title. His Second-Team All-Big Ten selection in 2014 confirmed his place among the conference’s top perimeter players.
Caris LeVert Family
Family Background and Personal Life
LeVert comes from a close-knit Columbus family. He is the son of Kim LeVert, a Columbus City Schools first-grade teacher, and the late Darryl Wayne LeVert, a graphic designer. His younger brother, Darryl Marcus LeVert, played basketball at Connors State College. Caris was named after his grandfather, who served as president of the Johnstown, Ohio school board.
Through his father’s side, LeVert is the third cousin of Eddie LeVert, the lead vocalist of the O’Jays, making him a distant relation to singers Gerald LeVert and Sean LeVert of the group LeVert.
2025 Season Performance
LeVert began 2025 with the Cleveland Cavaliers before being dealt to the Atlanta Hawks at the February 6 trade deadline. In Atlanta, he quickly established himself as a high-impact reserve, highlighted by a buzzer-beating 25-point game against the Memphis Grizzlies on March 3 and a 31-point season high against the Philadelphia 76ers on April 11. His scoring punch off the bench provided the Hawks with a reliable closing option down the stretch of the regular season.
Following the conclusion of the 2024–25 campaign, LeVert entered free agency and signed a two-year, $29 million contract with the Detroit Pistons on July 8, 2025. The move reunites him with a young, rebuilding roster in need of veteran backcourt scoring and playmaking. Detroit views LeVert as a stabilizing presence who can mentor emerging guards while maintaining a meaningful rotation role.
Heading into the 2025–26 NBA season, LeVert is expected to serve as a key veteran contributor for the Pistons, bringing eight prior seasons of NBA experience, multiple 40-point scoring outputs, and a proven track record of post-injury comebacks to a franchise seeking to take the next step in its rebuild.