Portis played high school basketball at Hall High School in Little Rock. He was a highly decorated prep player there, earning McDonald's and Parade All-American status and was named Mr. Basketball of Arkansas in 2013. Upon committing to Arkansas, Portis became the first in-state McDonald's All-American to sign with the Razorbacks since Corliss Williamson in 1992 and was considered a key recruit for coach Mike Anderson's rebuild of the program.
College career
As a freshman, Portis averaged 12.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. He was named to the Southeastern Conference All-Freshman team and second-team All-SEC. In his sophomore season, Portis was named to the preseason All-SEC team and led the Razorbacks to a top 25 ranking. During his second and final season, Portis averaged 17.5 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, 1.2 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. He was named one of 20 finalists for the John R. Wooden Award for national college player of the year, one of only two players from the SEC. On March 10, 2015, Portis was selected as the SEC Player of the Year by the league's coaches. This marks the first time an Arkansas Razorback was selected since Corliss Williamson won the award back-to-back during the 1993–94 and 1994–95 seasons. By that time he was considered one of the top players in college basketball in the 2014–15 season and a likely first-round pick in the 2015 NBA draft.
Professional career
Chicago Bulls (2015–2019)
2015–16 season
On June 25, 2015, Portis was selected with the 22nd overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls. He signed his rookie scale contract with the Bulls on July 7, 2015. In his NBA debut on November 3, 2015, he scored 10 points in the Bulls' 25-point loss to the Charlotte Hornets. Following a quadruple overtime loss to the Detroit Pistons on December 18, 2015, a number of the Bulls' starting five members were fatigued heading into the team's December 19, 2015, game against the New York Knicks. With Jimmy Butler and Tony Snell struggling, Portis capitalized and had the best night of his young career with 20 points and 11 rebounds.
2016–17 season
On October 28, 2016, the Bulls exercised their third-year team option on Portis' rookie scale contract, extending the contract through the 2017–18 season. On January 6, 2017, Portis was assigned to the Windy City Bulls, Chicago's D-League affiliate. He was recalled the next day. On February 16, 2017, he had a season-high 19 points in a 104–103 win over the Boston Celtics. On March 2, 2017, he had 17 points and a season-high 13 rebounds in a 94–87 win over the Golden State Warriors. On March 18, 2017, he scored a career-high 22 points in a 95–86 win over the Utah Jazz.
2017–18 season
On October 17, 2017, Portis and teammate Nikola Mirotić were engaged in a physical altercation during practice, in which Mirotić charged at Portis, who punched Mirotić in the face, which led to him going to the hospital for a concussion and multiple face fractures. A day later, Portis was suspended by the Bulls for eight games. In his season debut on November 7, Portis had 21 points and 13 rebounds in a 119–114 loss to the Toronto Raptors. On December 11, he scored a career-high 23 points in a 108–85 win over the Boston Celtics. Four days later, he set a new career high with 27 points to go with 12 rebounds in a 115–109 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. On February 22, 2018, he set a new career high with 38 points in a 116–115 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. On March 17, 2018, he recorded 15 points and a season-high 15 rebounds in a 114–109 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
2018–19 season
In the Bulls' season opener on October 18, 2018, Portis had 20 points and 11 rebounds in a 127–108 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. On October 25, he was ruled out for four-to-six weeks with a moderate sprain of the MCL of his right knee. On December 10, after sitting out nearly seven weeks, Portis returned to the lineup and had nine points in 19 minutes in a 108–89 loss to the Sacramento Kings. On December 20, he was ruled out for two to four weeks with a right ankle sprain, an injury suffered the previous night against the Brooklyn Nets. He returned to action on January 6 against the Nets after missing seven games. On January 30, he scored 22 of his 26 points in the second half of the Bulls' 105–89 win over the Miami Heat.
On February 6, 2019, Portis was traded, along with Jabari Parker and a 2023 second-round pick, to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Otto Porter. He made his debut for the Wizards two days later, scoring a game-high 30 points off the bench in a 119–106 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
New York Knicks (2019–present)
On July 9, 2019, Portis signed with the New York Knicks.
