Ronald "Ron" Harper (born January 20, 1964) is a retired American professional basketball player whose career spanned from 1986 to 2001 with four teams in the NBA. At 6-foot-6-inches (1.98 m), his position was shooting guard/point guard.
Playing career
Collegiate career
Harper starred at Miami University in Ohio, where his high flying playing style drew rousing comparisons to Julius Erving. Harper averaged 24.3 points per game, 11.2 rebounds per game, 3.2 steals per game, and 2.4 blocked shots per game.
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NBA
Cleveland Cavaliers (1986–89)
After Harper's collegiate basketball career he was selected 8th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 1986 NBA Draft. He averaged 22.9 points per game in his rookie season, placing second in Rookie of the Year balloting, finishing behind Chuck Person of the Indiana Pacers.[2] After initially spending 3 seasons with the Cavaliers, Harper was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers for Danny Ferry.
Los Angeles Clippers (1989–94)
While with the Clippers, Harper sustained a knee injury which robbed him of much of his speed and jumping ability, though he averaged just under 2 steals per game.
Chicago Bulls (1994–99) and Los Angeles Lakers (1999–2001)
In 1994, Harper signed a lucrative free agent deal with the Bulls, who were rebuilding following the first retirement of Michael Jordan. After a tumultuous initial season in Chicago, Harper found his niche with the Bulls upon Jordan's return, eventually becoming a fan favorite by reinventing himself as a big perimeter defender, ballhandler, and midrange scorer. Although he suffered an injury late in Chicago's record-setting 72-win season in 1996, he returned to the starting lineup during the 1996 NBA Finals, helping the Bulls win the NBA title. Harper would play a key role on two more Chicago championship teams in 1997 and 1998.
Harper went on to be a mainstay for five of Phil Jackson's eleven championship teams, following Jackson to Los Angeles in 1999. During the 1999-2000 season, Harper started 78 of 80 games, averaging 7 points a game and finishing second on the team in steals behind Kobe Bryant. Led by Shaquille O'Neal and Bryant, the Lakers won 67 games and secured the league's best record. In the Western Conference playoffs, they defeated the Sacramento Kings, the Phoenix Suns and the Portland Trail Blazers. In the final minute of game 3 in Portland, Harper caught a pass from Bryant in the left corner and sank a 19 foot jump shot with 29.9 seconds to give the Lakers a 93-91 lead. In the final play of the game, both Harper and Bryant blocked a shot by Arvydas Sabonis to seal the Laker victory. The Lakers would win the series in 7 games to set up a match-up with the Indiana Pacers in the 2000 NBA Finals. In game 2, Bryant sprained his ankle and left the game. Harper and Glen Rice picked up the slack with 21 points apiece to help the Lakers take a 2-0 lead. The Lakers would go on to the win the NBA championship over the Pacers 4 games to 2, giving Harper his fourth title. Harper started all 23 games in the playoffs and averaged 8.6 points per game.
In the 2000-2001 season, injuries limited Harper to just 47 games; he started in 46. By season's end, Derek Fisher had taken over the stating point guard slot, and Harper would only play in 6 games during the playoffs. The Lakers reached the 2001 NBA Finals, where they faced the Philadelphia 76ers. Following the Sixers' win in game 1, the Lakers won games 2 and 3. In game 4, Harper made crucial shots on the way to 8 points, his best point total for the series. The Lakers would win game 4 and game 5 en route to their second straight NBA championship and Harper's fifth.
Coaching career
In 2005, Harper signed as an assistant coach for the Detroit Pistons.[2] His two-year deal was not renewed in 2007.[3]
Media appearance
On November 1, 1997, Ron Harper appeared in the Nickelodeon sitcom Kenan & Kel, in the episode titled "Foul Bull". In the episode, Harper, as a Chicago Bull, slips on some orange soda and gets injured, and all of Chicago is angry with Kenan and Kel, who try to apologize.
Personal
Harper has battled stuttering for most of his life, and donates his time to the National Stuttering Association to encourage others with this problem to not let it hinder them.[4]
Harper co-runs a Twitter, Instagram and YouTube account with his daughter, who is also his social media manager. She also co-runs his Facebook fan page with a friend.
See also
Notes
External links
1986 NBA Draft |
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| | First round | |
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| | Second round | |
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| Persondata |
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| Name |
Harper, Ron |
| Alternative names |
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| Short description |
American basketball player-coach |
| Date of birth |
January 20, 1964 |
| Place of birth |
Dayton, Ohio |
| Date of death |
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| Place of death |
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