A shooting guard from Plymouth, North Carolina, he played college basketball for the NC State Wolfpack and the UConn Huskies.

[5] ESPN analyst Dave Telep wrote, "In a short period of time, Purvis distinguished himself as an athletic, strong, scoring threat.

There's an attacking presence he brings to the table, making him one of the best young offensive players in his age group.

[8] A nagging shoulder injury caused Purvis to undergo surgery to repair a left labral tear in December 2013.

Purvis worked extensively with teammate Ryan Boatright to get ready for his first eligible season at UConn.

[8] Purvis was named AAC player of the week on March 2, 2015, after registering 28 points, three assists and three steals in an 81–73 win against SMU.

He declared for the 2016 NBA draft, but declined to hire an agent and opted to return to Connecticut for his final season on May 5.

[18] Purvis had his NBA debut one day later, playing in 10 minutes of action in a 94–88 loss to the Sacramento Kings.

[21] On July 20, 2018, Purvis was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Dakari Johnson and cash considerations.

On July 27, 2019, Purvis signed a one-year deal with Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli Premier League.

[29] On August 9, 2020, Purvis signed with Bergamo Basket 2014, in the Serie A2 second tier Italian national league.

[33] On February 8, 2018, Purvis was selected to participate in USA World Cup Qualifying Team training camp.