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Ron Harper

Harper in 2016

Personal information

Born

January 20, 1964 (age 61)
Dayton, Ohio, U.S.

High school

Kiser (Dayton, Ohio)

Listed height

6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)

Listed weight

214 lb (97 kg)

Career information

College

Miami (Ohio) (1982–1986)

NBA Draft

1986 / Round: 1 / Pick: 8th overall

Selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers

Pro career

1986–2001

Coaching career

2005–2007

Career history

As player:

1986–1989

1989–1994

1994–1999

1999–2001

As coach:

2005–2007

Detroit Pistons (assistant)

Career highlights and awards

5× NBA champion (1996–1998, 2000, 2001)
NBA All-Rookie First Team (1987)
Consensus second-team All-American (1986)
2× MAC Player of the Year (1985, 1986)
3× First-team All-MAC (1984–1986)
No. 34 retired by Miami RedHawks
MAC Hall of Fame (2023)

Career statistics

Points

13,910 (13.8 ppg)

Rebounds

4,309 (4.3 rpg)

Assist

3,915 (3.9 apg)

Medals

Men's Basketball

Representing United States
Summer Universiade
Silver	1985 Kobe	National team

Ronald Harper Sr. (born January 20, 1964) is an American former professional basketball player. He played for four teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1986 to 2001. Ron Harper is famous for winning five NBA championships during his career.

Early Life and High School
College Basketball Career
Professional Basketball Career
NBA Career Statistics
- Regular season
- Playoffs
Coaching Career
Media Appearances
Personal Life
See also

Early Life and High School

Ron Harper was born on January 20, 1964, in Dayton, Ohio. He was the youngest of six children. His mother worked several jobs, including as a teacher and at a General Motors factory, to support their family.

Ron first went to Belmont High School in Dayton. He didn't make the freshman team and didn't play basketball as a sophomore. Later, he moved to Kiser High School in Dayton. In his senior year, he was amazing! He averaged 20.5 points, 13.4 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals, and 6 blocked shots per game. He was named first-team All-Ohio and graduated from Kiser in 1982.

Today, the Kiser High School building is an elementary school. In 2006, the school's gym was named after Ron Harper in a special ceremony.

College Basketball Career

Ron Harper became a star player at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He played there for four seasons, from 1982 to 1986.

As a freshman, he scored 12.8 points per game and led his team in rebounds. In his sophomore year, he led the team in scoring and rebounds. Miami University won the Mid-American Conference (MAC) championship and went to the NCAA tournament.

In his junior year, Ron had his best season yet. He led the team with 24.9 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. He also led in steals. He was named MAC Player of the Year. His team made it to the NCAA tournament again.

During his senior season, on March 8, 1985, Ron set a Miami and MAC tournament record by scoring 45 points in one game. He also grabbed 18 rebounds! He was named MAC Player of the Year again. He also became the first MAC player to get a "triple-double" with 38 points, 19 rebounds, and 12 assists in one game. He was also named a second-team All-American.

Ron Harper is Miami University's all-time leading scorer with 2,377 points. He also holds the record for most rebounds with 1,119. He was the first player in MAC history to score 2,000 points and grab 1,000 rebounds. He also holds records for career scoring average, games started, minutes played, field goals, and blocked shots.

In 1986, his jersey number (34) was retired by Miami University. This means no other basketball player at Miami will ever wear that number again.

Professional Basketball Career

Cleveland Cavaliers (1986–1989)

The Cleveland Cavaliers picked Ron Harper as the eighth player in the 1986 NBA draft. He played his first NBA game on November 1, 1986. In just his sixth game, he scored 34 points! He even scored 40 points against the Boston Celtics.

In his first year, Ron started all 82 games. He averaged 22.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 2.5 steals per game. He finished second in the Rookie of the Year award voting.

In his second season, he got a bad ankle injury and missed many games. The Cavaliers made the playoffs but lost to the Chicago Bulls. The next season, he played all 82 games again. The Cavaliers made the playoffs but lost to the Bulls again in a very close game.

Los Angeles Clippers (1989–1994)

In November 1989, Ron Harper was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. He started all 28 games he played for the Clippers that season. However, his season ended early because of a serious knee injury in January 1990. He had surgery for a torn ligament.

Even with the injury, he averaged 22.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 2.3 steals per game that season. He had two games where he scored 39 points!

In his next season, he played fewer games because of his injury. But by the 1991–92 season, he was back to starting all 82 games. The Clippers made the playoffs but lost in the first round.

In 1992–93, Ron was named a co-captain of the team. He played in 80 games and averaged 18.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 2.2 steals. The Clippers made the playoffs again but lost in the first round.

In his last full season with the Clippers (1993–94), he averaged 20.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.9 steals. He even had a "triple-double" with 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in one game!

Chicago Bulls (1994–1999)

In 1994, Ron Harper joined the Chicago Bulls. This was after Michael Jordan had retired for the first time. When Jordan returned, Ron found his new role with the Bulls. He became a great defender, good at handling the ball, and scoring from mid-range. Fans really liked him!

In his first season with the Bulls (1994–95), his playing time and scoring went down. But for the first time in his career, his team made it past the first round of the playoffs.

The 1995–96 season was amazing for the Bulls. With coach Phil Jackson and stars like Jordan and Scottie Pippen, and Ron Harper playing a key role, the team set an NBA record with 72 wins and only 10 losses! They then won their fourth NBA championship by defeating the Seattle SuperSonics. Ron played a very important part in this historic team.

In 1996–97, the Bulls had another great season with 69 wins. They won their fifth NBA championship against the Utah Jazz. Ron continued to be a strong defender and a valuable player.

In 1997–98, Ron started all 82 games for the Bulls. The team won 62 games and then won their sixth NBA championship, again against the Utah Jazz. This was Ron's third championship in a row!

Ron played one more season with the Bulls in 1998–99. With Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman gone, the team struggled. But Ron still played well, averaging 11.2 points per game.

Los Angeles Lakers (1999–2001)

In 1999, Ron Harper signed with the Los Angeles Lakers. He rejoined his former Bulls coach, Phil Jackson.

In the 1999–2000 season, Ron started most games for the Lakers. He played a similar role to what he did with the Bulls. The Lakers, led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal, had the best record in the league. They went on to win the NBA championship against the Indiana Pacers. Ron started all 23 playoff games and earned his fourth NBA championship ring!

The 2000–2001 season was Ron's last in the NBA. He had some injuries, but the Lakers made it to the Finals again. They faced the Philadelphia 76ers and won their second straight NBA championship. This gave Ron his fifth NBA championship ring in just six years!

NBA 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

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1986–87	Cleveland	82	82	37.4	.455	.213	.684	4.8	4.8	2.5	1.0	22.9
1987–88	Cleveland	52	52	32.1	.464	.150	.705	3.9	4.9	2.1	.9	15.4
1988–89	Cleveland	82	82	34.8	.511	.250	.751	5.0	5.3	2.3	.9	18.6
1989–90	Cleveland	7	7	37.4	.442	.200	.756	6.9	7.0	2.0	1.3	22.0
1989–90	L.A. Clippers	28	28	39.5	.481	.283	.795	5.6	4.8	2.4	1.1	23.0
1990–91	L.A. Clippers	39	34	35.5	.391	.324	.668	4.8	5.4	1.7	.9	19.6
1991–92	L.A. Clippers	82	82	38.3	.440	.303	.736	5.5	5.1	1.9	.9	18.2
1992–93	L.A. Clippers	80	77	37.1	.451	.280	.769	5.3	4.5	2.2	.9	18.0
1993–94	L.A. Clippers	75	75	38.1	.426	.301	.715	6.1	4.6	1.9	.7	20.1
1994–95	Chicago	77	53	19.9	.426	.282	.618	2.3	2.0	1.3	.4	6.9
1995–96†	Chicago	80	80	23.6	.467	.269	.705	2.7	2.6	1.3	.4	7.4
1996–97†	Chicago	76	74	22.9	.436	.362	.707	2.5	2.5	1.1	.5	6.3
1997–98†	Chicago	82*	82*	27.9	.441	.190	.750	3.5	2.9	1.3	.6	9.3
1998–99	Chicago	35	35	31.6	.377	.318	.703	5.1	3.3	1.7	1.0	11.2
1999–00†	L.A. Lakers	80	78	25.5	.399	.311	.680	4.2	3.4	1.1	.5	7.0
2000–01†	L.A. Lakers	47	46	24.2	.469	.264	.708	3.5	2.4	.5	.5	6.5
Career		1009	967	30.9	.446	.289	.720	4.3	3.9	1.7	.7	13.8

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1988	Cleveland	4	4	33.5	.476	.000	.688	5.0	3.8	2.8	1.0	17.8
1989	Cleveland	5	5	37.8	.565	.000	.769	4.2	4.0	2.2	.8	19.6
1992	L.A. Clippers	5	5	41.2	.448	.111	.786	6.4	4.6	1.0	.8	18.0
1993	L.A. Clippers	5	5	34.8	.474	.500	.647	4.0	3.2	3.0	2.0	18.0
1995	Chicago	6	0	6.7	.429	.000	.000	1.0	.7	.5	.2	2.0
1996†	Chicago	18	16	27.4	.425	.319	.690	3.7	2.5	1.4	.4	8.8
1997†	Chicago	19	19	27.1	.400	.344	.750	4.3	3.0	1.3	.7	7.5
1998†	Chicago	21	21	26.8	.459	.263	.615	3.7	2.3	1.0	.9	6.7
2000†	L.A. Lakers	23	23	28.0	.431	.231	.702	3.7	3.2	1.0	.6	8.6
2001†	L.A. Lakers	6	0	7.0	.500	.250	.667	1.3	.7	.7	.2	2.2
Career		112	98	26.8	.450	.292	.698	3.7	2.7	1.3	.7	9.0

Coaching Career

After his playing career, Ron Harper became an assistant coach for the Detroit Pistons in 2005. He coached there for two years until 2007.

Media Appearances

Ron Harper even appeared on TV! On November 1, 1997, he was in an episode of the Nickelodeon sitcom Kenan & Kel. The episode was called "Foul Bull." In the show, Ron, playing as a Chicago Bull, gets hurt after slipping on orange soda.

Personal Life

Ron Harper has dealt with stuttering for most of his life. He helps the National Stuttering Association to encourage others with this challenge. He wants them to know it doesn't have to stop them from achieving their dreams.

Ron is also a father to two basketball players. His son, Ron Harper Jr., plays in the NBA. His other son, Dylan Harper, is a college basketball player. Dylan was a top recruit for the Class of 2024 and plays for Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball. Ron is also the godfather to R. J. Hunter, who is also a basketball player.