Phoenix Suns wing Haywood Highsmith hosted a free basketball camp at his alma mater Archbishop Curley on July 18 and 19.
The 29-year-old Baltimore native graduated from Curley in 2014 and is now headed into his seventh season in the NBA.
“For me to have an event like this with the basketball camp is going to be amazing for the kids. I just want to give back to the community, make their day as wonderful as possible,” Highsmith said on Glenn Clark Radio July 16. “… Our goal is not only to teach them basketball, it’s also to teach them life skills, teach them to believe in themselves and be confident in themselves in whatever they want to do. So this is powerful and you know this is what it’s all about, giving back.”
Highsmith didn’t have the easiest journey to the NBA. After his time at Curley, he played Division II ball at Wheeling University. Highsmith averaged 22 points and 12.5 rebounds per game as a senior, which earned him first-team All-America honors in 2017-18.
Highsmith went undrafted and signed with the Philadelphia 76ers. He mostly played for the 76ers’ G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats, before catching on with the Miami Heat.
Highsmith found a home in South Beach for four seasons, most notably starting at small forward when the team benched Jimmy Butler amid trade talks in 2024-25. He had the best season of his career that year, making 42 starts and appearing in 76 games. He averaged 6.5 points and 3.4 rebounds a game.
Highsmith signed a two-year contract with the Suns in February after being waived by the Brooklyn Nets.
“I would have told you that I got here by the grace of God and by my friends and family and just hard work,” Highsmith said of what he would think about his journey if he were told about it years ago. “I always knew I could do it. It was just a matter of doing it and putting action there and making it more than just words. At the end of the day, I fought through a lot of adversity and did what I had to do. … I’m still not done my job. I’m still not finished. I’m still writing my own story and I’m going to keep going.”
Highsmith will have a hometown connection in Phoenix this season with the Suns signing guard Pat Spencer this offseason. Both grew up in Maryland and played high school basketball in Baltimore. Spencer played high school hoops at Boys’ Latin and college lacrosse at Loyola before committing to basketball professionally.
“We actually played against each other in high school a couple of times. From what I remembered he was a very solid player,” Highsmith said. “He also played lacrosse — the top lacrosse player in the nation. So when I heard he was switching from lacrosse to basketball when he went to college at Northwestern, it was no surprise to me. He was a great player in high school. He’s a hell of an athlete as well. The whole family is great athletes so it was no surprise to me. I actually got to see him in Vegas for Summer League and talk to him a little bit. It’s going to be fun to have another Baltimore guy on the team.”
For more from Highsmith, watch the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Phoenix Suns