He played college basketball for the Washington Huskies and was selected in the first round of the 2016 NBA draft with the eighth overall pick by the Sacramento Kings.

However, during a game in his eighth-grade season, Chriss landed awkwardly on his shoulder while attempting to catch a long pass and broke his collarbone.

Colleges began offering Chriss scholarships that season, with the first coming from Northern Arizona University.

[3] Sources: Chriss had a phenomenal start at Washington, recording a double-double with a season-high 29 points and 10 rebounds in the second game of the season against Mount St. Mary's.

[8][9] In the days leading up to the draft, Chriss agreed to terms on a multi-year footwear and apparel endorsement deal with Nike.

[12] On July 7, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Suns and joined the team for the 2016 NBA Summer League.

[13] Chriss played in three games for the Suns during the Summer League before developing an illness that ruled him out for the rest of the tournament.

[14] Chriss made his debut for the Suns in their season opener on October 26, 2016, against the team that originally drafted him, the Sacramento Kings.

[15] With Chriss playing alongside Devin Booker and fellow rookie Dragan Bender, the Suns became the first NBA team to have three teenagers on the floor in the same game.

[16] He made his first start for the Suns on November 8 against the Portland Trail Blazers, recording seven points, four rebounds, and one block in 20 minutes of play during the 124–121 loss.

[33] On January 31, in a 102–88 win over the Dallas Mavericks, Chriss reached 100 career steals, three-pointers and blocks at 20 years, 213 days old.

[36] On August 31, 2018, Chriss was traded, alongside Brandon Knight, to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Ryan Anderson and De'Anthony Melton.

[37] On October 30, 2018, after missing the first five games of the season with a sprained left ankle, Chriss made his debut for the Rockets, recording four points and two rebounds in a 104–85 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.

[39] On February 7, 2019, Chriss was acquired by the Cleveland Cavaliers in a three-team trade involving the Rockets and Sacramento Kings.

[48] On March 25, 2021, Chriss was traded along with cash considerations to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for the draft rights to Cady Lalanne.

[56] On June 24, 2022, Chriss was traded alongside Boban Marjanović, Trey Burke, Sterling Brown, and the draft rights to Wendell Moore Jr. to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Christian Wood.

[57] On September 30, 2022, Chriss, Burke, Brown, and David Nwaba were traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Derrick Favors, Ty Jerome, Maurice Harkless, Théo Maledon and a future second-round pick.

His mother is Shawntae Wright, a licensed clinical social worker in Placer County, California.