Liggins attended George Washington High School in Chicago and transferred to Findlay Prep in Henderson, Nevada, for his senior season.

On June 24, 2011, Liggins was selected with the 53rd overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft by the Orlando Magic.

[3] Liggins made his NBA debut for Orlando on February 20, 2012, in a road game against the Milwaukee Bucks where he recorded three points and two rebounds in 10 minutes on the court.

[5] During the 2012–13 season, he had multiple assignments with the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA Development League.

[16] On February 27, 2015, he signed with Eisbären Bremerhaven of Germany for the rest of the season.

[19] However, he was ruled out of the All-Star game due to a right plantar fascia injury suffered on January 9, and was replaced in the East team by Quinn Cook.

[24] He made his debut for the Cavaliers in the team's season opener on October 25, 2016, recording four points, three rebounds, three assists and one block in a 117–88 win over the New York Knicks.

[29] On September 25, he was again traded – this time to the Atlanta Hawks for draft considerations.

[37][38] Four days later, in a 100–82 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, Liggins made his first start of the season, but failed to score in 19 minutes.

[42] Liggins was subsequently added to the roster of the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

[43] On March 23, 2019, Liggins signed with Kolossos Rodou of the Greek Basket League for the rest of the season.

[44] On August 5, 2019, Liggins signed a one-year deal with Spanish club Montakit Fuenlabrada.

[46] On July 22, 2020, Liggins signed with London Lions of the British Basketball League (BBL).