Elijah Harkless

Elijah J. Harkless (born February 3, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Motor City Cruise of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Cal State Northridge Matadors, Oklahoma Sooners and UNLV Runnin' Rebels. Harkless signed with the Ontario Clippers of the NBA G League after going undrafted in the 2023 NBA draft.

High school career Harkless attended Etiwanda High School at Rancho Cucamonga, California, leading his team to a 30–4 record and a third-place finish at the CIF Southern Section Open Division Tournament as a senior while averaging over 10 points and five assists. He was named to the All-Baseline First Team and to the Sun-Daily Bulletin All-Area Team.

College career Harkless initially attended Cal State Northridge (CSUN) where he played 51 games in two seasons while averaging 8.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.4 steals in 23.6 minutes and in his sophomore year, he became the first CSUN player to record a triple-double and the first player since 2005 to get 54 steals in a single season.

As a junior, Harkless transferred to Oklahoma, where he played 49 games over two seasons and averaged 9.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, two assists and 1.6 steals in 28.8 minutes. He played 20 games and averaged 11.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists and one steal in 22.6 minutes while shooting 47.5% from the field. On July 25, he was released by the Rattlers.

San Diego Clippers (2024) After joining them for the 2024 NBA Summer League, on September 4, 2024, Harkless signed with the Los Angeles Clippers. and re-signed on October 9. However, he was waived once again on October 19. On October 28, he joined the San Diego Clippers.

Utah Jazz / Salt Lake City Stars (2025–2026) On January 1, 2025, Harkless signed a two-way contract with the Utah Jazz.

Detroit Pistons / Motor City Cruise (2026–present) On July 9, 2026, Harkless signed a two–way contract with the Detroit Pistons.

Career statistics

NBA

College

Personal life The youngest son of Sherice Sterling and Kevin Harkless. He has two brothers, Kevin and Aaron, and three sisters, Kreation, Lyniesha and LaTierra. He received a Bachelor's Degree in Communications from the University of Oklahoma in 2022.