He played four years of college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils, winning a national championship in 2010.

Plumlee attended Warsaw Community for his freshman, sophomore and junior seasons before transferring to Christ School after issues arose with the coach.

[3] Plumlee had originally committed to play at Stanford University for the 2008–09 season, but after Stanford coach Trent Johnson left for LSU and brother Mason had committed to play at Duke the following year, he chose to become a Blue Devil.

On July 27, 2013, Plumlee was traded to the Phoenix Suns alongside Gerald Green and a 2014 lottery protected first round draft pick in exchange for Luis Scola.

[10] On February 19, 2015, Plumlee was acquired by the Milwaukee Bucks in a three-team trade involving the Suns and the Philadelphia 76ers.

[12][13] On February 2, 2017, Plumlee was traded, along with cash considerations, to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Spencer Hawes and Roy Hibbert.

[15][16] Following off-season surgery on his right knee, Plumlee's conditioning was restricted coming into training camp and he strained his right quadriceps before the opener.

[20] On March 11, 2019, Plumlee suffered a left knee injury during practice while working his way back following a non-surgical procedure on January 7.

[21] He underwent a medical examination and MRI on March 25, which revealed a cartilage injury in his left knee.

[21] On July 7, 2019, the Hawks traded Plumlee alongside Solomon Hill to the Memphis Grizzlies for Chandler Parsons.