How a Sixth Man of the Year navigated the highs and lows of professional basketball
In short: From winning the inaugural Karl Malone Award to facing felony drug charges, Montrezl Harrell’s career has been anything but linear. A former NBA Sixth Man of the Year, his journey through the leagues of America, Australia, and China reveals the intense volatility of life at the highest levels of professional sport.
Montrezl Harrell emerged as a premier collegiate talent at the University of Louisville, where he became the first recipient of the Karl Malone Award in the 2014–15 season. After being selected 32nd overall in the 2015 NBA draft by the Houston Rockets, he eventually found his greatest success with the Los Angeles Clippers. During that exceptional season, he earned the 2020 NBA Sixth Man of the Year title, recording 18.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.
However, his career has been marked by significant turbulence. In 2023–24, Harrell missed an entire NBA season due to an ACL injury. His international stints have been equally complicated; while playing for the Adelaide 36ers in Australia, he faced suspensions for on-court incidents and later encountered legal and regulatory scrutiny. In 2025, the China Anti-Doping Agency announced a positive test for carboxy THC following a test from April.
The complexities of professional regulation also caught up with him in Puerto Rico. While playing for Atléticos de San Germán in 2026, Harrell was suspended by the BSN until 2027. The penalty arose not from using performance-enhancing drugs, but because he missed an out-of-competition drug test while with the Adelaide 36ers on 29 January 2025. His career remains a testament to the extreme highs of athletic achievement and the heavy administrative consequences of life on the road.
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