Ron Harper

Ron Harper’s basketball career as a shooting/point guard spanned from 1986 to 2001. Born in Dayton Ohio on January 20th, 1964; Harper attended Miami University in Ohio, where he averaged about 24.2 points a game. His playing technique drew comparisons to Julius Irving, because of his high flying jumps. He averaged 2.4 blocked shots per game.

Harper was the 8th pick draft pick for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1986. He played for the Cleveland Cavaliers for three seasons (1987-1989), the Los Angeles Clippers from 1989 to 1994, the Chicago Bulls from 1994 to 1999 and with the Los Angeles Lakers from 1999 to 2001. During his 15 year career in the NBA, he went on to win five NBA championships. Three with the Chicago Bulls (NBA champs for the years of 95-96, 96-97 and 97-98) and two with the Los Angeles Lakers (NBA champs for the years 99-00 and 00-01). Ron Harper retired in 2001.

Outside of the NBA, Ron Harper appeared in the Nickelodeon TV show, Kenan and Kel, where he played himself. In 2005, Harper signed a two year deal as an assistant coach for the Detroit Pistons. The contract wasn’t renewed in 2007. Having overcame a severe stuttering problem, Harper volunteers at Widney High School in Los Angeles, a school that caters to disabled students.

Harper’s final season was with the Los Angeles Lakers, for the 2000-2001 season. During that time, Ron Harper scored an average of almost 11 points per game. Ron Harper made the game-winning bucket with a little less than 30 seconds remaining. This gave the Lakers a two point win (ending score of 93-91) against the Portland Trailblazers at their home arena on May 26, 2001 in game 3 of the Western Conference Finals. This win gave Ron Harper his fifth and final NBA championship ring. He retired after that.