Jordan Harper Popular Books

Jordan Harper Biography & Facts

Ronald Harper Sr. (born January 20, 1964) is an American former professional basketball player. He played for four teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA) between 1986 and 2001 and is a five-time NBA champion. Early life Ronald Harper Sr. was born on January 20, 1964, in Dayton, Ohio. Harper and his twin brother were the youngest of six children raised in a single-parent household by their mother. She worked several jobs to support the family, including as a school teacher and on an assembly line at a General Motors plant. In high school, he first attended Belmont High School in Dayton, but was cut from the freshman team and didn't play as a sophomore. He later transferred to Kiser High School in Dayton and as a senior averaged 20.5 points, 13.4 rebounds, five assists, five steals and six blocked shots and was named first-team All-Ohio. He graduated from Kiser in 1982. The Kiser High School facility is now an elementary school. In 2006, Harper attended a ceremony at which the school's gymnasium was named for him. College career Harper starred at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, for four seasons from 1982–83 through 1985–86. As a freshman, Harper scored 12.8 points per game and led Miami in rebounding with 7.0 per game as the team went 13–15. As a sophomore, he led the team in scoring with 16.3 points per game and in rebounding with 7.6 per game, as Miami went 24–6 and won the Mid-American Conference championship, the MAC tournament championship, and earned a berth in the NCAA tournament. In his junior season, he set personal bests and again led the team with 24.9 and 10.7 rebounds per game and also led in steals with 2.6 per game. He was named MAC Player of the Year as the team went 20–11, finished second in the MAC and earned a berth in the NCAA tournament. In his senior season, on March 8, 1985, he set both a Miami and a MAC tournament single-game scoring record of 45 points in one game (as well as snaring 18 rebounds). His scoring average of 24.9 per game is second all-time at Miami behind Fred Foster's 26.8 in 1967–68. He again led the team in rebounding with 11.7 per game as well as assists (4.3) and steals (3.3). He also became the first MAC player in history to record a triple-double with 38 points, 19 rebounds and 12 assists against Ball State University. Again he was named MAC Player of the Year and also named second-team All-American by both the Associated Press (AP) and United Press International (UPI). Miami went 24–7 to win the MAC title and earn a berth in the NCAA tournament. Harper is Miami's all-time leading scorer with 2,377 points, and also leads in rebounding with 1,119. He was the first men's player in MAC history to score 2,000 points and grab 1,000 rebounds in a career. He also holds Miami's all-time records for career scoring average (19.8), games started (118), minutes played (4,164), field goals (969), and blocked shots (173). He had a career field goal percentage of .534. At his final home game in 1986, he became the first basketball player in Miami history to have his number (34) retired. Professional career Cleveland Cavaliers (1986–1989) Harper was selected in the first round (eighth overall) in the 1986 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Harper made his NBA debut on November 1, 1986. He broke 30 points in just his sixth game, with 34 against the Sacramento Kings on November 11, 1986. He scored a season-high 40 points against the Boston Celtics on February 4, 1987, and had one of his finest all-around games on February 10, 1987, against the New York Knicks with 25 points, 16 rebounds, four assists and five steals. Harper started all 82 games and averaged 22.9 points per game (ppg) and 4.8 rebounds per game (rpg) along with 4.8 assists and 2.5 steals. He placed second in Rookie of the Year balloting behind Chuck Person of the Indiana Pacers. In his second season, he was limited to 57 games due to a severely sprained ankle suffered in the second game of the season that kept him out until late December. For the season, he averaged 15.4 ppg. The Cavaliers made the playoffs, but were eliminated by the Chicago Bulls, three games to two. The following season, 1988–89, he again started all 82 games, averaging 18.6 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 5.3 assists and 2.3 steals as the Cavaliers advanced to the playoffs, where they were eliminated in the first round, again by the Chicago Bulls three games to two, this time with a one-point loss in game 5 on the Cavaliers’ home court — the now-defunct Richfield Coliseum. This game was ended by The Shot. Los Angeles Clippers (1989–1994) In his fourth season, 1989–90, after seven games with the Cavaliers, on November 16, 1989, Harper was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, alongside two first-round draft picks and a second-round draft pick, for Reggie Williams and Danny Ferry, the latter having refused to play for the Clippers. Harper started all 28 games he played for the Clippers, but his season was cut short by a serious right knee injury suffered in a game in January 1990. Diagnosed with both a torn anterior cruciate ligament and torn cartilage, he underwent surgery. For the 1989–90 season overall, he averaged 22.8 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 5.2 assists, 2.3 steals and a career-high 1.2 blocks per game. His season was highlighted by back-to-back 39-point games against Denver and Indiana in December 1989, both of which the Clippers won. In his next season, 1990–91, he was limited to 39 games, but still posted averages of 19.6 ppg and 4.8 rpg along with 5.4 assists and 1.7 steals By 1991–92, his sixth NBA season, he bounced back to start all 82 games, averaging 18.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 5.1 assists and 1.9 steals. as the Clippers advanced to the playoffs, where they were eliminated three games to two by the Utah Jazz. In 1992–93, Harper was named a co-captain (alongside Danny Manning and Mark Jackson). In 80 games (77 as a starter), Harper averaged 18.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 4.5 assists and 2.2 steals. The Clippers again made the playoffs, but yet again Harper's team was eliminated in the first round, this time three games to two by the Houston Rockets. In 1993–94, his fourth full season with the Clippers and eighth in the NBA, he played and started in 75 games, averaging 20.1 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 4.6 assists and 1.9 steals. On March 11, 1994, he tallied a triple-double with 26 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists along with six steals in a win over the Dallas Mavericks. Two nights later, he came within one assist of duplicating the feat, with 39 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists plus another six steals in a win over the Golden State Warriors. Chicago Bulls (1994–1999) On September 15, 1994, Harper signed a free-agent deal with the Chicago Bulls, who were reloading following the first retirement of Michael Jordan. Harper found his niche with the Bulls upon Jordan's return, eventually becoming a fan favorite by reinventing himself as a big perimeter defender, ball handler, and mid-range scorer. In his first season in Chicago, 1994–95.... Discover the Jordan Harper popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Jordan Harper books.