Josh Hart in his rookie year with the Lakers, courtesy of NBC Sports

Josh Hart grew up in Silver Spring. Prior to transferring to Sidwell Friends in D.C., he attended and played basketball at Wheaton High School.

Hart grew up playing basketball for the Montgomery County Bearcats, where his coaches praised him for his heart at an early age. He made the varsity basketball team as a freshman at Wheaton, eventually becoming a starter in the second half of the season.

Even though he transferred to Sidwell Friends and played there the last three years of his high school basketball career, his ties to MoCo remained strong. His mother has been a long-time employee at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville and his father is a retired caterer.

After Sidwell Friends, he attended and played for the Villanova Wildcats for four years. He started for much of his junior and senior seasons and won a national championship in 2016.

When he was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the NBA Draft last year, he vowed that his parents would never work again.

As a rookie, Hart started 23 games Lakers. He played 23.2 minutes per game and averaged 7.9 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.

Hart was recently named the NBA’s Summer League MVP. He averaged 22.4 points per game, which was the most among players with at least three appearances in the 7 game season.

The future is looking bright for the young MoCo native!