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5 hours ago
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Getting to the NBA is a major accomplishment in itself, but living up to the expectations that come with having a father who played in the league adds even more pressure. That’s the reality for Rutgers’ Dylan Harper, whose dad won five NBA championships during his career.
On Wednesday, Harper was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs—and so was his teammate, Ace Bailey. Both were selected in the top five, making history for Rutgers—though not the kind they were hoping for.
“Rutgers is now the first — and, likely for the foreseeable future, the only — program in college basketball history to miss the NCAA Tournament while having two players who were picked in the top five of the subsequent NBA Draft,” NJ.com’s Brian Fonseca wrote.
Ron Harper was selected eighth overall in his draft year, but Dylan went second. In fact, Dylan is already set to surpass his father’s career earnings with his first NBA contract.
“Dylan Harper’s rookie contract: $56M. Father Ron Harper’s career earnings: $35M,” Darren Rovell posted.
This is the new wave of the NBA—players are getting paid. To put it into perspective: Dylan hasn’t even stepped onto an NBA court yet, while Ron is a five-time champion. Still, his son has already earned more.
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Interestingly, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony had Harper projected to the Spurs from the beginning. Now, that prediction has become reality, and Harper is thrilled to join their promising young core.
“I think when you play with a bunch of great players, it just brings the best out of you," Harper told ESPN after being drafted. "They got a great young core over there. I'm just ready to get in there and make an impact anywhere I can with those guys."
Harper is poised to become a star for the Spurs and help lead them back to the playoffs—a place they haven’t been in years. As for his contract, he can now flex it in his dad’s face. And with his next deal, he could very well double or even triple Ron Harper’s career earnings.
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