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Dylan Robert Harper (born March 2, 2006) is an American professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, and was drafted second overall in the 2025 NBA draft by the Spurs. He was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2024 class. His father is former NBA player Ron Harper.

Early life and high school career

Dylan Robert Harper was born on March 2, 2006 in Englewood, New Jersey, at the Englewood Hospital.[1] Harper grew up in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey and attended Don Bosco Preparatory High School.[2] He averaged 15.2 points per game during his sophomore season.[3] Harper was named the Boys Basketball Player of the Year by NJ.com as a junior after averaging 24.9 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.0 steals per game.[4][5] Harper averaged 22.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game while leading the Ironmen to a 29–3 record and a NJSIAA Non-Public A state championship during his senior season. Harper played Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball for the New York Renaissance.[6] He also played in the 2023 USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team minicamp in Colorado Springs.[7]

Recruiting

Harper was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2024 class, according to major recruiting services.[8] He was rated the number one overall recruit for the class of 2024 by ESPN during the summer before the start of his senior year.[9] On December 6, 2023, Harper committed to playing college basketball for Rutgers, his brother‘s alma mater, over offers from Duke, Kansas, Indiana, and Auburn.[10] He was the highest-rated recruit in the program’s history.[11]

College recruiting information
Name Hometown School Height Weight Commit date
Dylan Harper
PG / SG 		Franklin Lakes, NJ Don Bosco Prep (NJ) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Dec 6, 2023 
Recruit ratings: Rivals: 5/5 stars   247Sports: 5/5 stars   On3: 5/5 stars   ESPN: 5/5 stars   (96)
Overall recruit ranking:    Rivals: 3    247Sports: 3    On3: 3    ESPN: 4
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

College career

As a freshman, Harper averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game. He was named third-team All-Big Ten and to the all-freshman team. On March 31, 2025, Harper declared for the 2025 NBA draft.[12]

Professional career

San Antonio Spurs (2025–present)

All-Rookie honors and First Finals Appearance (2025–2026)

Harper was selected with the second overall pick by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2025 NBA draft.[13][14] Harper was later included in the 2025 NBA Summer League roster of the Spurs.[15] On July 3, 2025, the Spurs announced that they signed Harper.[16] On October 22, Harper made his NBA debut, coming off the bench with fifteen points plus four rebounds and two assists in a 125–92 win over the Dallas Mavericks.[17] On March 21, 2026, Harper scored a career-high 24 points in a 134–119 win over the Indiana Pacers.[18] After the regular season, Harper was selected to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.[19]

On April 24, in Game 3 of the Western Conference First Round against the Portland Trail Blazers, Harper put up 27 points and 10 rebounds in a 120–108 win. His teammate Stephon Castle put up 33 points, as they joined Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook as the only duos to each put up 25 points in the same playoff game at 21 years old or younger in NBA history.[20][21] He also became the youngest player in NBA history to record at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in a conference finals game.[22] On May 18, in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Harper recorded 24 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and a franchise playoff-record seven steals in a 122–115 double-overtime victory.[23] In the process, he became only the second rookie in NBA history to record at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and five steals in a playoff game, joining Magic Johnson.[24]

In Game 5 of the NBA Finals, Harper recorded a team-high 25 points along with five rebounds and four assists without committing a turnover in a 94–90 loss to the Knicks, as the Spurs lost the series 4–1.[25][26] In his first NBA Finals appearance, he averaged 18.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game while shooting 49.3% from the field across five games. Despite appearing in all five games off the bench, he finished as the Spurs’ second-leading scorer in the series behind Victor Wembanyama.[27]

National team career

Harper was named to the United States under-19 basketball team to play in the 2023 FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup.[28] He averaged 9.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game as Team USA finished fourth in the tournament.[29]

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
 *  Led the league

NBA

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2025–26 San Antonio 69 4 22.6 .505 .343 .756 3.4 3.9 .8 .3 11.8
Career 69 4 22.6 .505 .343 .756 3.4 3.9 .8 .3 11.8

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2026 San Antonio 23* 2 26.7 .515 .333 .827 5.6 2.7 1.0 .2 14.1
Career 23 2 26.7 .515 .333 .827 5.6 2.7 1.0 .2 14.1

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2024–25 Rutgers 29 28 32.6 .484 .333 .750 4.6 4.0 1.4 .6 19.4

Family

Harper’s father, Ron Harper, played 15 seasons in the NBA and won five NBA championships.[30] His mother, Maria (née Pizarro), is from Bataan, Philippines, and played college basketball for the University of New Orleans as a freshman in the 1993–94 season. She is a former head coach of the DePaul Catholic High School girls’ varsity team in New Jersey[31] and an assistant coach for the boys’ team at Don Bosco High, where she coached Dylan and his brother, Ron Harper Jr.[32] Harper’s maternal grandfather represented the Philippines in basque pelota at the 1968 Summer Olympics.[33] Ron Harper Jr. played college basketball at Rutgers and now plays for the Boston Celtics.

References

  1. ^ Armstrong, Kevin (December 8, 2023). “Dylan Harper wants to be the NBA’s No. 1 pick. Can Rutgers get him there?”. nj. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
  2. ^ Mattura, Greg (January 11, 2023). “Considered a top High School basketball talent in NJ, Dylan Harper does it all on and off the court”. The Record. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  3. ^ Lasley, Alec (April 25, 2023). “Indiana extends offer to top-50 2024 guard Dylan Harper”. Rivals.com. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
  4. ^ Divens, Jordan (May 24, 2023). “High school basketball: Could Dylan Harper have a better NBA career than his father Ron Harper?”. MaxPreps. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  5. ^ Gould, Brandon (March 20, 2023). “Don Bosco Prep’s Dylan Harper is the Boys Basketball Player of the Year, 2022–23”. NJ.com. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  6. ^ Zagoria, Adam (July 22, 2022). “N.J. star Dylan Harper leads NY Rens into Peach Jam semis, says Rutgers is recruiting him the hardest”. NJ.com. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  7. ^ Spears, Marc (July 9, 2025). “Rookie guard Dylan Harper ready for NBA education with San Antonio Spurs”. Andscape. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  8. ^ Zagoria, Adam (July 7, 2023). “At Nike Peach Jam, Rutgers remains laser-focused on No. 1 target Dylan Harper”. NJ.com. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  9. ^ Biancardi, Paul (June 28, 2023). “Rising men’s college basketball recruits, a new No. 1, more”. ESPN.com. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  10. ^ Borzello, Jeff; Biancardi, Paul (December 6, 2023). “Rutgers lands PG Dylan Harper, No. 2 recruit in Class of 2024”. ESPN.com. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  11. ^ Bass, Tobias (December 6, 2023). “Rutgers lands Dylan Harper, No. 2 player in 2024, adding to top-5 recruiting class”. The Athletic. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
  12. ^ Givony, Jonathan (March 31, 2025). “Dylan Harper, projected No. 2 pick, declares for NBA draft”. ESPN. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  13. ^ “Spurs Select Dylan Harper and Carter Bryant in the First Round of 2025 NBA Draft”. NBA.com. June 25, 2025. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
  14. ^ Wright, Michael (June 25, 2025). “Spurs land Rutgers’ Dylan Harper with No. 2 pick in NBA draft”. ESPN.com. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
  15. ^ “Spurs Announce 2025 Summer League Roster”. NBA.com. June 30, 2025. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
  16. ^ “Spurs Sign 2025 Second Overall Pick Dylan Harper”. NBA.com. July 3, 2025. Retrieved July 3, 2025.
  17. ^ “Wembanyama scores 40 as Spurs spoil Flagg debut with 125–92 rout of Mavericks”. ESPN.com. October 22, 2025. Retrieved October 23, 2025.
  18. ^ “Spurs’ Dylan Harper: Career-high 24 points”. CBS Sports. March 21, 2026. Retrieved March 22, 2026.
  19. ^ “Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel headline 2025–26 Kia All-Rookie Teams”. NBA.com. May 21, 2026. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
  20. ^ Davis, Josh (April 25, 2026). “Spurs guards Dylan Harper, Stephon Castle’s Game 3 heroics join Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook company”. ClutchPoints. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  21. ^ Weiss, Jared (April 25, 2026). “Carter Bryant, Dylan Harper take over Spurs’ comeback win in moment they dreamed of”. The Athletic. Retrieved April 27, 2026.
  22. ^ “Spurs-Thunder: Don’t ignore what Dylan Harper is doing as a 20-year-old rookie in the playoffs”. Yahoo Sports. May 20, 2026. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
  23. ^ Spears, Marc J. (May 20, 2026). “San Antonio Spurs guard Dylan Harper ‘all business’ on court in Western Conference finals”. Andscape. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
  24. ^ “Dylan Harper Had Historic Playoff Game for Spurs”. Heavy.com. May 20, 2026. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
  25. ^ Pagaduan, Jedd (June 13, 2026). “Spurs’ Devin Vassell lets slip Dylan Harper was ‘upset with playing time, different roles’ in rookie season”. ClutchPoints. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  26. ^ Lambert, Ben (June 13, 2026). “Recap: Knicks win the 2026 NBA championship, defeating Spurs in five games”. nba.com. Retrieved June 13, 2026.
  27. ^ “Dylan Harper Finals Stats”. StatMuse. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  28. ^ Fonseca, Brian (June 16, 2023). “Don Bosco star, Rutgers target Dylan Harper earns spot on USA Basketball U19 FIBA World Cup team”. NJ.com. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
  29. ^ Tsakonas, Chris (July 3, 2023). “A look at how Dylan Harper fared in FIBA U19 World Cup”. 247Sports. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
  30. ^ Shaw, Jamie (May 16, 2021). “Dylan Harper receiving early interest”. Rivals.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2023. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  31. ^ Spears, Marc (July 9, 2025). “Rookie guard Dylan Harper ready for NBA education with San Antonio Spurs”. Andscape. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
  32. ^ Davis, Seth (July 12, 2023). “How a mom’s love helped Dylan Harper become top basketball recruit in Class of 2024”. The Athletic. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  33. ^ Henson, Joaquin M. (December 9, 2021). “Harper’s son open to play for Gilas”. Philstar.com. Retrieved June 2, 2025.