Sport: Basketball
Born: March 2, 2006
Town: Franklin Lakes, NJ
Dylan Harper was born March 2, 2006 in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey. He was born to Ron and Maria Harper five years after Ron retired from the NBA, having won five championships in six seasons with the Bulls and Lakers. Dylan’s older brother, Ron Jr. was born in 2000 and would go on to play for Rutgers and the Detroit Pistons. Their mother played college basketball for the University of New Orleans and later became a successful AAU coach in Northern New Jersey along with Ron Sr. Their sons both competed for their Ring City club.
Growing up with three elite-level basketball players to tutor him, Dylan developed skills and hoops IQ well beyond his years. He attended Don Bosco Prep (where his mother was a coach) and in his junior season in 2022–23, he led the Ironmen to the state title. As a senior he averaged just under 25 points a game and was named North Jersey Player of the Year.
At 6’6”, Dylan was taller than his father and brother, but was at his best as a point guard. Knowing Rutgers had the inside recruiting track, most schools stayed away. As expected, he chose the Scarlet Knights over Nebraska. Dylan’s ability to score from the perimeter plus his willingness to mix it up with the bigs inside made it obvious after just a few games that he would likely be an NBA lottery pick after a one-and-done freshman year. He seemingly sealed the deal with a 37-point outburst against Alabama in November.
During 2024–25, Dylan teamed with fellow freshman Ace Bailey to give Rutgers an awesome one-two backcourt punch. That did not always translate into victory, however. Coach Steve Pikiell had a young team for the rock-solid Big Ten and the Scarlet Knights finished 15–17. Dylan led the team in scoring at 19.4, as well as shooting percentage, free throws, steals and assists. He was the number-five scorer in the Big Ten. His superb ball handling for a 6’6” guard only git better as the year went on.
As the NBA Draft neared, Dylan was rated the top point guard on the board and the second-best player behind Cooper Flagg of Duke. With the San Antonio Spurs and their all-everything center Victor Wembanyama sitting at two, NBA West fans prepared themselves to deal with yet another San Antonio dynasty. Bailey, meanwhile, projected as a classic pro swingman and figured to go number three. Dylan did indeed go to the Spurs, while Bailey went fifth to the Utah Jazz.
Dylan scored in double-figures in his first five NBA games—all Spurs victories. He blended into a talented lineup as a sixth man, subbing for D’Aron Fox and Stephone Castle at the point and Devin Vassell at shooting guard. Dylan appeared in 69 games, averaging 11.8 points and 3.9 assists as the Spurs went from 34 wins to 62 and finished second in the Western Conference. He finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting behind Flagg, Conn Kneuppel and VJ Edgecombe and was named to the All-Rookie team.
The Spurs cruised through the first two rounds of playoffs, dropping a total of three games against Portland and Minnesota to set up a conference-finals showdown with the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. In a double-OT win in Game One, Dylan scored 24 points, collected 11 rebounds and six assists, and set a team playoff record with seven steals. The only other rookie with a 20-10-5-5 playoff games was Magic Johnson. Dylan’s attacking style gave the Thunder all kinds of problems in the series. Any thought that they were facing a rookie was erased by Game 7, when the Spurs beat OKC in its own building, 111–103.
The Spurs entered the NBA Finals against the battle-hardened Knicks as the second-youngest team ever to play for the league title (after the 1977 Trailblazers). Dylan continued to expand his game, driving into the paint with great strength and body control. He starred in two narrow losses before struggling in Game 3, which the Spurs won. In Game 4, he was one of the few Spurs who played under control in the second half, when the Knicks erased a 29-point deficit to win, 107–106. Dylan made eight of 12 shots, including a pair of three-pointers, for 21 points. It just wasn’t enough to make up for a gassed Wembanyama, who struggled to make shots and defend in the closing minutes.