Basketball ace Joel Berry II is a point guard who helped lead college basketball team North Carolina Tar Heels to victory in the 2017 national championship. Berry was the first player to become Florida Mr. Basketball on three occasions, and in 2014 he was named McDonald’s All-American and a Parade All-American. Berry currently plays overseas for Istanbul-based team Beşiktaş in the Turkish Basketball Super League (BSL) and has previously had stints with South Bay Lakers and Greensboro Swarm.
Born in Orlando, Florida, Berry’s journey as a player began at just 6 years old when his father spotted his talent when the young prodigy was playing against his older sisters. By the time he was 13 the young sports star was playing for a Nike-sponsored, high-powered team Nike Each One Teach One of Orlando.
Berry’s big turning point came when he joined North Carolina Tar Heels in 2014. After some success in his sophomore and junior seasons, Berry led the side to the ACC regular season title in 2017. After scoring 22 points and six assists in the national title game he was named Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four.
The Los Angeles Lakers summer league team signed Berry to an NBA contract shortly after he went undrafted in the 2018 NBA draft. After playing for Lakers’ G League affiliate South Bay Lakers an injury ended his season, and in 2019 he was traded to The Greensboro Swarm. Berry is currently signed to Beşiktaş as from November 2020 where his impressive skills continue to make an impact.