Pelle Gustav Gösta Larsson (born 23 February 2001)[1] is a Swedish professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Utah Utes and the Arizona Wildcats.
| No. 9 – Miami Heat | |
|---|---|
| Position | Shooting guard / small forward |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | 23 February 2001 Nacka, Sweden |
| Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Listed weight | 215 lb (98 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | |
| NBA draft | 2024: 2nd round, 44th overall pick |
| Selected by the Houston Rockets | |
| Playing career | 2018–present |
| Career history | |
| 2018–2019 | RIG Luleå |
| 2019–2020 | BC Luleå |
| 2024–present | Miami Heat |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Early life and career
editLarsson grew up in Nacka, Sweden, and is the son of Christian Larsson, a former member of the Sweden men's national basketball team.[2][3] As a youth, he played for the local Skuru IK basketball team before moving north at age 16 to join BC Luleå.[4] He played two seasons with RIG Luleå and BC Luleå in the Swedish Basketball League, being named the league's star of the year in his first season at the top level with averages of 7.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 0.8 steals per game.[5][6]
College career
editLarsson moved to the United States in 2020 to play for the Utah Utes.[2] He became a starter seven games into his freshman season and averaged 8.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game; he was 50.0% on 3-point field goals in conference games which was the third-best in the Pac-12, and he was second in the conference with 88.3% of his free throws made.[7] He announced a transfer to Arizona following his only season at Utah.[8]
In his first season at Arizona, 2021–22, Larsson was named the Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year and appeared in all 37 games, averaging 7.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.[9] He played in all 35 games and had 18 starts in 2022–23, averaging 9.9 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.[10] He initially entered the 2023 NBA draft but later announced he was returning to Arizona for his senior year in 2023–24.[11]
Professional career
editMiami Heat (2024–present)
editOn June 27, 2024, Larsson was selected with the 44th overall pick by the Houston Rockets in the 2024 NBA Draft, however, immediately on draft night, he was traded to the Miami Heat in exchange for AJ Griffin via a three-way trade with the Atlanta Hawks.[12] On July 2, he signed with Miami.[13]
National team career
editLarsson has represented Sweden at the under-16, under-18, and senior levels, including averaging 6.3 points in 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifiers.[14][15]
Career statistics
edit| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–21 | Utah | 25 | 18 | 26.6 | .467 | .463 | .883 | 3.2 | 2.8 | .7 | .5 | 8.2 |
| 2021–22 | Arizona | 37 | 2 | 20.7 | .478 | .363 | .813 | 3.4 | 1.8 | .8 | .2 | 7.2 |
| 2022–23 | Arizona | 35 | 18 | 27.4 | .472 | .356 | .835 | 4.3 | 3.1 | .8 | .2 | 9.9 |
| 2023–24 | Arizona | 36 | 36 | 30.1 | .519 | .426 | .750 | 4.1 | 3.7 | .9 | .2 | 12.8 |
| Career | 133 | 74 | 26.1 | .490 | .397 | .813 | 3.8 | 2.8 | .8 | .3 | 9.6 | |
References
edit- ^ "Pelle Larsson". NBADraft.net.
- ^ a b Quinn, Brendan (13 December 2022). "It's Pelle Larsson's turn to step into the light at Arizona". The Athletic.
- ^ Marshall, John (15 February 2024). "Pelle Larsson putting his body on the line every game for No. 5 Arizona". Associated Press.
- ^ Newman, Josh (3 January 2021). "Utah basketball's Pelle Larsson at the forefront of Runnin' Utes' overseas movement". The Salt Lake Tribune.
- ^ Scheer, Jason (8 May 2021). "Highlights: Utah transfer Pelle Larsson". 247Sports.
- ^ Drew, Jay (13 January 2021). "Freshman guard Pelle Larsson, a Swedish import, making instant impact for struggling Utes". Deseret News.
- ^ Pascoe, Bruce (9 May 2021). "New transfer Pelle Larsson brings shooting touch, physical game to Wildcats". Arizona Daily Star.
- ^ Newman, Josh (9 May 2021). "Utah hoops star freshman Pelle Larsson commits to Arizona after entering NCAA Transfer Portal". The Salt Lake Tribune.
- ^ "Pelle Larsson". Arizona Wildcats.
- ^ Scheer, Jason (25 April 2023). "Pelle Larsson enters NBA Draft". 247Sports.
- ^ Pascoe, Bruce (16 May 2023). "Pelle Larsson confirms he will return to Arizona Wildcats for 2023-24 season". Arizona Daily Star.
- ^ "HEAT ACQUIRE PELLE LARSSON". NBA.com. June 27, 2024. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
- ^ "HEAT SIGN PELLE LARSSON". NBA.com. July 2, 2024. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
- ^ "Pelle Larsson". Proballers.com.
- ^ Pascoe, Bruce (30 August 2022). "Arizona's Pelle Larsson wraps up Swedish national team experience with win". Arizona Daily Star.