Bryce McGowens

McGowens is an American guard whose professional career has included stops in Charlotte, Portland, and New Orleans after a decorated high school career and a standout freshman season at Nebraska. Drafted 40th overall in 2022, he has navigated two-way contracts, a multi-year deal, a waiver, and a three-year standard contract by 2026, gradually establishing himself as a developmental wing with scoring potential and defensive versatility.

Born Bryce Alexander McGowens on November 8, 2002, in Piedmont, South Carolina, he attended Wren High School. As a sophomore, he averaged 26.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.0 assists and was named Region 1-4A Player of the Year while leading the team to a Class 4A Upper State runner-up finish. As a junior, he scored a school-record 65 points in a second-round playoff win, averaged 25.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists, led Wren to the Class 4A Upper State championship game, and repeated as Region 1-4A Player of the Year. For his senior year, he transferred to Legacy Early College in Greenville, South Carolina, averaged 21.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.1 assists, earned South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year honors, and was selected to the Jordan Brand Classic roster.

McGowens was rated a five-star recruit by 247Sports and Rivals and a four-star recruit by ESPN. On February 10, 2020, he committed to Florida State, but decommitted on October 8, 2020. On November 13, 2020, he committed to Nebraska, becoming the highest-ranked recruit in program history and its first five-star signee. In his college debut on November 9, 2021, he scored 25 points against Western Illinois. On March 1, 2022, he scored 26 points against Ohio State but suffered a hand injury that caused him to miss the following game. As a freshman, he averaged 16.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.4 assists and was named to the Third Team All-Big Ten and the All-Freshman Team. He declared for the 2022 NBA draft on March 21, 2022.

The Minnesota Timberwolves selected McGowens 40th overall in the 2022 NBA draft and traded him to the Charlotte Hornets. On July 2, 2022, the Hornets signed him to a two-way contract, and he split time with the Greensboro Swarm. On February 26, 2023, the Hornets converted his deal to a multi-year contract. He was waived by the Hornets on July 6, 2024. On July 11, 2024, he signed a two-way contract with the Portland Trail Blazers. In 13 games for Portland during the 2024-25 season, he averaged 1.0 point in 2.5 minutes per game. On March 26, 2025, while playing for the Rip City Remix, he suffered a season-ending right rib fracture.

On July 30, 2025, McGowens signed a two-way contract with the New Orleans Pelicans. On February 20, 2026, the Pelicans signed him to a three-year standard NBA contract, providing long-term stability after years of two-way deals and limited rotation opportunities.

McGowens is a scoring wing with length, athleticism, and a developing outside shot. His high school scoring totals reflected a player capable of carrying an offense, and his Nebraska freshman season demonstrated an ability to score at the high-major collegiate level. He attacks the rim with either hand, finishes in transition, and has shown flashes of three-point range. Defensively, his size and lateral quickness allow him to guard multiple perimeter positions, though consistency and physicality remain works in progress. His main development areas are three-point consistency, playmaking reads, and adding strength to handle NBA physicality on both ends.

McGowens enters the 2025-26 season on a three-year contract with the New Orleans Pelicans. His path includes a South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year award, Jordan Brand Classic selection, a school-record 65-point game, Nebraska's first five-star recruit, Third Team All-Big Ten honors, a 2022 draft-night trade from Minnesota to Charlotte, two-way and multi-year stops with the Hornets, a waiver, a Portland two-way stint, a season-ending rib fracture, a New Orleans two-way deal, and a three-year standard contract in February 2026. His journey from Piedmont through Wren High School, Legacy Early College, Nebraska, and multiple NBA franchises reflects a developmental trajectory built on scoring instincts and persistent professional adaptation.