Faried was born on November 19, 1989, stands 2.03 meters tall, and plays at the center and power forward positions. He began his professional career with the Denver Nuggets, who selected him with the 22nd overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. In his rookie season, he averaged 10.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game, earning a spot on the NBA All-Rookie Team.

In 2013, he was named MVP of the Rising Stars Challenge with 40 points and 10 rebounds, and he set career-highs of 34 points and 21 rebounds against the New Orleans Pelicans and Utah Jazz, respectively. He played for the Nuggets until 2018, recording seasons with averages of 11.5 points and 9.2 rebounds.

He then played for the Brooklyn Nets and Houston Rockets, and in 2019 moved to China to join the Zhejiang Guangsha Lions. He later played for Leones de Ponce (Puerto Rico), CSKA Moscow (EuroLeague – VTB League), the Grand Rapids Gold and Austin Spurs in the G-League, as well as the Mexico City Capitanes.

In 2023, he played for the Cangrejeros de Santurce before returning to the Capitanes and then to Leones de Ponce. In November 2024, he moved to Italy to play for Pallacanestro Reggiana, followed by another return to Cangrejeros de Santurce, and on October 8, 2025, he signed with the TSG GhostHawks in Taiwan.