Dylan Harper's dad steps in with heartfelt clarification amid fans' outrage over Spurs rookie rocking Kawhi Leonard's number 

Dylan Harper had an impressive performance in the San Antonio Spurs’ recent game against the Indiana Pacers on October 13, finishing with 11 points and 8 assists. Instead of fans celebrating his effort, most of the attention went to his jersey number.

Harper wore #2, sparking backlash from fans who saw it as a sign that the Spurs don’t plan to retire Kawhi Leonard’s number.

“Still crazy to me a player apart of 2 finals runs, 2x DPOY, a Top 3 MVP X DPOY finish, 2x all nba, 2x all star, champion and FMVP…. Is not going to get his jersey retired by the franchise,” a user replied to Harper’s highlight from the clash against the Pacers.

Dylan’s father, Ron Harper, decided to chime in on the online debate. Instead of arguing with fans, he kept things calm and pointed out that the choice had nothing to do with his son.

Explore the NBA Draft 2024 with our free NBA Mock Draft Simulator & be the GM of your favorite NBA team.

“He can still get his jersey retired if they want to do it. Many players are playing in retirement numbers,” Ron Harper replied.

As the user mentioned, Kawhi Leonard did have a successful stint with the Spurs. But things took a turn in his final season with the team, when a dispute over his quad injury led to Leonard and the Spurs’ front office’s relationship deteriorating. The situation eventually ended with Leonard sitting out most of the year and being traded to the Toronto Raptors.

Dylan Harper finds his rhythm post thumb surgery

Dylan Harper is easing his way back after missing several Summer League and preseason games because of surgery on his left thumb. In the two preseason games he’s played so far, he’s been gradually finding his rhythm and looking more comfortable each time.

"It felt good being out there, playing with the guys, getting our chemistry together," Harper said (timestamp 0:06 onwards). "I think getting my wind back day by day, game by game, so it definitely felt great being out there and winning."

Dylan Harper came off the bench in the October 10 matchup against the Utah Jazz and again on October 13 against the Indiana Pacers. Even though he’s still not fully at 100%, he’s already shown how valuable he can be for the Spurs. Through these two games, he’s averaging 10 points and 5.5 assists per game while shooting an impressive 57.1% from the field.

Edited by Advait Jajodia