Ron Harper
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| Player information | ||
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| Full name | Ronald Harper | |
| birthday | 20th January 1964 (age 56) | |
| place of birth | Dayton , Ohio , United States | |
| size | 198 cm | |
| Weight | 98 kg | |
| position | Shooting Guard / Point Guard | |
| college | Miami University | |
| NBA draft | 1986 , 8th Pick, Cleveland Cavaliers | |
| Clubs as active | ||
1986–1989 Cleveland Cavaliers 1989–1994 Los Angeles Clippers 1994–1999 Chicago Bulls 1999–2001 Los Angeles Lakers
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Ronald "Ron" Harper (born January 20, 1964 in Dayton , Ohio ) is a former American basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers , Los Angeles Clippers , Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA . The 1.98 meter tall Harper played the positions of shooting guard and later in his career point guard and had a successful NBA career with five championships won.
Career
Harper was selected eighth in the 1986 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers . In his debut season he scored a remarkable 22.8 points and 5 assists per game as a shooting guard and was voted into the NBA all-rookie team of the best newcomers. Because of his accuracy and his dunk qualities he was named " Michael Jordan light". With the Cavaliers, Harper reached the playoffs twice , but was eliminated early in each case.
In the middle of the 1989/90 season , Harper was transferred to the Los Angeles Clippers . He suffered a serious knee injury in 1990 that incapacitated him for the remainder of the season and stole much of his jumping ability. Since he could no longer dunk well , he improved his distance throw and his defense work, and until 1993/94 always scored 18 to 20 points per game.
For the 1994/95 season Harper was brought to the Chicago Bulls by Phil Jackson , who planned Harper as a point guard in Jackson's " Triangle offense ". Since the Bulls already had accurate basket hunters like Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen on board, he concentrated on his playmaking and defensive tasks and kept his back to the two stars. Harper was part of the Bulls team that won three titles in a row from 1996 to 1998 and won an incredible 72 of 82 games of the season in 1997, setting a new NBA record.
When the Bulls team broke up in 1999 after Jordan's resignation, Jackson brought him to his new club, the Los Angeles Lakers . In the same tactical role as supporter for stars Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant in Jackson's system, Harper was two more champions at the age of 36 and 37. After winning the fifth title in 2001, he ended his professional career. With 1,716 steals he is in the all-time NBA Top 20 in this category.
After his playing career, Harper became assistant coach of the Detroit Pistons in 2005 , but was no longer employed in 2007.
Son Ron Harper Jr. followed in his father's footsteps and is active as a basketball player.
Web links
- Ron Harper - player profile on NBA.com
- Ron Harper - player profile on basketball-reference.com
Individual evidence
- ↑ Ron Harper Jr. Stats, News, Bio. In: ESPN.com. Retrieved May 4, 2020 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Harper, Ron |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Harper, Ronald (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American basketball player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 20th January 1964 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Dayton , Ohio |