Ron Harper - Under Estimated

Ronald Harper (born January 20, 1964 in Dayton, Ohio) is a retired American professional basketball player whose career spanned from 1986 to 2001 with four teams in the NBA. At 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m), his position was shooting guard/point guard.

After playing collegiately for Miami University in Ohio, 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. After initially spending 3 seasons at the Cavaliers, he would later play for the Los Angeles Clippers, the Chicago Bulls, and Los Angeles Lakers, where he finished his career. He won five championships in his career, three with the Bulls and two with the Lakers.

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 which still remains a team record. In 1994, he signed a lucrative free agent deal with the Bulls, who were rebuilding following the initial retirement of Michael Jordan. After his first tumultuous season in Chicago, he reinvented himself as a defender and jump shooter. With the return of Jordan in late 1995, Harper remained a key component of the Bulls' perimeter defense and a third scoring option on offense. He became a fan favorite in Chicago. Although he suffered an injury late in the Bulls' record-setting 72-win season in 1996, he returned to the starting lineup for the final game of the 1996 NBA Finals.

He was a mainstay of five of Phil Jackson's last 6 championship teams, following Jackson to Los Angeles to win two more championships (after winning 3 with the bulls). Along with Harper, Dennis Rodman, John Salley, and Robert Horry are the only players to win multiple NBA Championships with two different teams. Interestingly, Rodman (Chicago Bulls 1996-1998), Salley (Los Angeles Lakers 1990-2000) and Horry (Lakers 1999-2001) were teammates of Harper.

• Category

  Sports

[crossphaded]

A great tribute to Ronnie Harp. I am one of his biggest fans and I love when I see other hoops fan comeout and show love to him too. He was one of the classiest, savviest, and exciting players to ever play in the NBA. I could go on and on about how much I admire him as a player and as a human being, but everyone who watched and appreciated this video already know who Ron Harper is. Give this guy a coaching job!

[ilovechi1]

Jordan & Harper would kill any backcourt that challenged them.

VeoShock.. Mad props to you for making this video. Keep it up.

[alex8er]

"Along with Harper, Dennis Rodman, John Salley, and Robert Horry are the only players to win multiple NBA Championships with two different teams"

The only? WTF? What about Steve Kerr?

[raulini1]

NO footage as a clippers SMH

[Chris Z.]

Surprisingly, Van Exel and Eddie Jones actually fared very well against them when they were together in L.A.

[kevinseveneleven]

wtf rules were they playing with, u spot him 14 and win by 6? So that's 21-15... what shot was the one pointer?

[noobestofdamall]

Joe Dunmars and Isaiah Thomas? Walt Frazier and Earl Monroe?

[357MagnumBob]

I work with a guy who grew up with Ron and played some BB... Ron used to spot him 14 points in a game of 21, and still beat him by 6... My colleague thought he was awful at BB until he played some pickup ball in college with players on the (division 3) starting BB team, and wiped the floor with them... When Ron was so highly drafted, he put it together and realized maybe he wasn't so bad after all...

[xaximan]

interviewing him on saturday! looking forward to it

[chart3]

Thanks for putting this mix together. Ron was always one of my favorite players. I feel he should be considered a legend for what he did with the Cavs, Clips, Bulls, & Lakers (it wasn't just Shaq and Kobe who won those early championships).