Ron Harper knows the road his son Dylan Harper is trying to travel, having won five NBA titles across the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers dynasties.
Now Dylan has his own chance to join that family history, after helping San Antonio beat Oklahoma City in Game 7 and reach the NBA Finals.
The Harpers can become the sixth father-son duo to win an NBA title, and the 20-year-old revealed what his father told him on court.
Dylan Harper reveals Ron Harper’s advice after Game 7 victory
During the post-match press conference, Harper said his father congratulated him, then quickly reminded him the job was not done and he had to stay confident.
“He congratulates me and then he talks about what he did. So, you know, we kind of leave it at that, but he just told me to be confident in myself, there’s a reason why I’m here and job is not done, job is not finished,” he began by saying.
“He’s kind of preached that to me throughout this whole playoffs, just always telling me just to do little things and just make sure that I’m aggressive and make sure that at the end of the day, I leave it all out there.”
That advice matched Dylan’s late-series response. He scored 12 points in Game 7, shooting 63% and giving San Antonio vital bench control, adding to his 18-point display in Game 6.
Father-son NBA title duos Dylan Harper could join
The existing list is small. Matt Guokas Sr. and Matt Guokas Jr. were first, before Rick and Brent Barry joined them.
Bill and Luke Walton later added another family, followed by Mychal and Klay Thompson, then Gary Payton and Gary Payton II.
That is the company Dylan can enter if San Antonio finish the job.
For now, Ron’s message is the right one: the Finals are not a celebration yet, they are another stage for Dylan to prove the Harper legacy has a new chapter.
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