Graham attended Needham B. Broughton High School in Raleigh, North Carolina, leading the team to the 4A state championship game and a 26-6 record in 2012-13 while he averaged 15.7 points and 5.4 assists per game. The following season, he transferred to Brewster Academy, in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, where he averaged 17.2 points and 5.0 assists per game and led the team to the national prep championship. At Brewster, Graham was teammates with Donovan Mitchell and Jared Terrell. Prior to transferring to Brewster, Graham was not highly recruited and originally committed to Appalachian State. After a great senior year he de-committed and signed with Kansas.
College career
As a freshman at Kansas, Graham averaged 5.7 points and 2.1 assists per game. He had a season-high 20 points against TCU on February 21, 2015. In the NCAA Tournament, he scored 17 points against Wichita State. After scoring a then career-high 27 points on 8-of-13 shooting against Oklahoma, Graham was named Big 12Player of the Week for the week of February 14, 2016. At the conclusion of the regular season, Graham was named to the Big 12 All-Defensive Team. He was named MVP of the 2016 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament after scoring 27 points against West Virginia in the championship game. As a sophomore in the 2015-16 season, Graham averaged 11.3 points per game while shooting 46 percent overall and 44 percent from 3 point territory. On February 22, 2017, Graham was arrested for failing to appear in court, resulting from an expired traffic ticket. As a junior, Graham was named to the Second Team All-Big 12. Along with Frank Mason III, Graham formed the backcourt of a Kansas team that went 31-5 but lost in the Elite Eight, as Graham shot 0 for 7 from the field and missed six 3-pointers in a season-ending 74-60 loss to Oregon. For the season, he averaged 13.4 points, 4.1 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game. In April, Graham announced on Twitter that he was returning for his senior year. In his senior season, Graham was named the preseason Big 12 Player of the Year for the 2017–18 season. On November 28, Graham scored a career high 35 points in a 96-58 win over Toledo. The following game, a 76-60 win over Syracuse, Graham again scored 35 points. Graham would go on to be unanimously selected as the Big 12 Player of the Year, averaging 17.6 points and 7.2 assists per game as a senior. He was also named a consensus member of the First Team All-America by multiple organizations. During his senior season, he averaged about 38 minutes a game.
Professional career
Charlotte Hornets (2018–present)
Graham was drafted in the 2nd round, 34th overall, in the 2018 NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks but was then traded to the Charlotte Hornets for two second round picks. In the Hornets' first three summer league games, he averaged ten points and six assists per contest. However, he would miss the rest of summer league with a knee injury. Graham made his NBA debut on October 22, 2018, against the Toronto Raptors, recording no points and one assist in five and a half minutes of play. On October 23, 2019, Graham made his regular season debut for the Charlotte Hornets; he scored 23 points to go along with eight assists and four rebounds in the 126–125 win over the Chicago Bulls. Graham hit six three pointers to help the Hornets set a new franchise record for three-point field goals made in a single game. On December 11, Graham scored a career-high 40 points with five rebounds and five assists in a 113–108 win over the Brooklyn Nets.
