NBA.com: Ron Harper Bio

A prolific scorer for most of his NBA career, Ron Harper improved the rest of his game to the point where he played a key role on the Chicago Bulls' championship teams of 1996, 1997 and 1998 and the Lakers back-to-back title runs of 2000 and 2001 because of his defense and floor leadership, rather than his point production.

1999-2000:
Notched 16 points and 5 assists in a 100-88 win over Philadelphia on 3/31 ... Registered 16 points and 7 rebounds in a 103-94 win in Milwaukee on 1/12 ... Totaled 17 points (8-9 FG) and 6 rebounds in a 108-106 win over Dallas on 12/27 ... Posted 18 points and 7 rebounds in a 93-80 win over Portland on 12/3 ... Tallied 17 points and 4 boards in a 103-80 win over New Jersey on 11/26 ... Totaled 15 points and 5 boards in a 111-102 loss to Toronto on 11/21

1998-1999:
Scored 17 points and grabbed a game-high 9 rebounds against the Orlando Magic on 5/5 ... Scored all of his game-high 25 points (4-7 3FG) in the 2nd half, adding a team-high 9 rebounds and 3 assists, in a 101-86 win over the Miami Heat on 5/1 ... On the injured list from 3/25 to 4/9 due to a dislocated left index finger and hyperextended right knee ... Registered 18 points (7-13 FG, 4-5 FT), 6 assists and 5 rebounds in a 104-95 victory over the New Jersey Nets on 3/18 ... Posted 13 points, a game-high 10 rebounds and 4 assists against the Orlando Magic on 3/17 ... Totaled 25 points (11-17 FG), 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 blocked shots in a 103-87 win over the New Jersey Nets on 3/9 ... Recorded 9 points, a game-high 13 rebounds and 4 assists in a 90-88 overtime victory over the Toronto Raptors on 2/28 ... Registered 20 points and 7 rebounds in an 89-84 victory over the L.A. Clippers on 2/7

1997-1998:
Posted 15 points and 3 blocked shots in a 109-94 victory over the Sacramento Kings on 2/28 ... Totaled a season-high 21 points, hitting 4-of-7 three-pointers, and 8 rebounds in a 105-96 win over the Detroit Pistons on 1/3 ... Scored 19 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in a 100-92 victory over the New Jersey Nets on 12/20 ... Recorded a game-high 20 points (8-14 FG), 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals in a 97-70 win over the Toronto Raptors on 12/13 ... Registered 20 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals against the Orlando Magic on 12/10 ... Posted 13 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocked shots in a 100-82 victory over the New York Knicks on 12/9 ... Totaled 18 points and 3 rebounds in a 97-87 victory over the Boston Celtics on 12/3 ... Recorded 14 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals against the Phoenix Suns on 11/20 ... Registered 17 points, 8 assists and 4 rebounds in a 94-74 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on 11/1

1996-1997:
Harper again played the role of set-up man and defensive stopper, as well as occasional scorer, as the Bulls won 69 games and another title ... He started 74 games, came off the bench twice and missed six games due to a sore back or the flu ... He averaged 6.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.33 steals in 22.9 minutes per game, ranking third on the team in steals ... He was fourth on the Bulls with 68 three-pointers ... Harper scored in double figures 18 times, getting a season-high 22 points in a 128-102 win over Philadelphia on April 7. He also had season-highs of eight rebounds and four blocks in that same game ... Harper started all 19 of the Bulls' playoff games and improved his averages to 7.5 ppg, 4.3 rebounds and 3.0 steals in 27.1 minutes per game ... He ranked fourth on the club in scoring and rebounding and third in assists ... He had 15 points, eight rebounds and four assists against the Atlanta Hawks in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, and scored in double figures in six other games

1995-1996:
After a season of adjustment, Harper became a significant contributor for the Bulls in 1995-96 ... Not needed to be a major scorer on a team led by Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, Harper focused on other aspects of his game and became known as a defensive stopper for the Bulls, leading the team in steals in 21 games and fitting in well in their team defensive concept ... It represented a remarkable shift in attitude and performance for the man who averaged over 15 points per game in each of his first eight NBA seasons, three times surpassing 20 ppg ... Harper, starting at guard alongside Jordan, averaged 7.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.31 steals in 23.6 minutes per game, starting 80 contests ... He missed two games in April due to a sprained left ankle and was hampered by injuries during the playoffs, when he was forced to come off the bench in Games 3 and 5 of the Finals against Seattle, relinquishing his starting spot to Toni Kukoc ... Harper scored in double figures in 23 games during the regular season, achieving a season-high 22 points against Cleveland on Feb. 20 ... In the playoffs he averaged 8.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.39 steals and 27.4 minutes per game, appearing in all 18 games, with a high of 18 points in Game 4 against New York

1994-1995:
Hoping to add some offensive punch at the position once occupied by Michael Jordan, the Chicago Bulls signed Harper to a free-agent contract on September 19 ... But Harper didn t produce the way he had in previous seasons; in nearly every category he put up numbers that were only a fraction of his career averages ... He began the season with averages of 19.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.9 assists in 36.6 minutes per game ... For the Bulls, he managed only 6.9 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 19.9 minutes per outing ... After having averaged better than 20 points per game for three full seasons, he managed to score 20 or more points only three times for the Bulls ... He scored a season-high 27 points against the San Antonio Spurs on November 16 ... The Bulls reached the playoffs with a 47-35 record, ousted the Charlotte Hornets in the first round, and then fell to the Orlando Magic in the conference semifinals ... With the late-season return of Michael Jordan, Harper's role rapidly diminished ... Against Charlotte he was called upon only once, and he was used only sporadically against Orlando

1993-1994:
The 1993-94 season was Harper's fifth with the Clippers and eighth in the NBA. He continued to perform at a high level, leading the Clippers in minutes played (2,856) while averaging 20.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists. He ranked 15th in the NBA in scoring and 13th in steals (1.92 per game) ... Harper scored more than 30 points 11 times during the year, with a high of 39 against the Golden State Warriors on March 13 ... In that game he also tallied 11 rebounds, 9 assists, and 6 steals. He recorded two triple-doubles in 1993-94, for a career total of four ... The Clippers experienced a turbulent season with the departure of Danny Manning and the arrival of Dominique Wilkins ... The club finished at 27-55, missing the playoffs for the first time in three seasons

1992-1993:
Harper broke his own Clippers single-season record for steals with 177, a total that ranked him sixth in the NBA ... He finished the year 8 steals shy of the 1,000 mark for his career ... Harper finished second on the club in scoring (18.0 ppg) to Danny Manning s 22.8 average ... He scored 20 or more points on 32 occasions and had at least 30 in three games. On December 5 he scored a season-high 36 points in a win over the Charlotte Hornets ... He finished the season shooting .451 from the field, but in games when he shot better than 50 percent the Clippers were 25-11

1991-1992:
Harper played 82 games for the third time in his career ... On April 17 against the Golden State Warriors he recorded his second career triple-double (28 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists) ... Clippers Coach Mike Schuler was fired after 43 games, and Harper evolved quickly under new coach Larry Brown ... His numbers under Schuler had been 16.8 points per game and .392 shooting; after Brown's arrival, Harper improved his numbers to 20.2 points on .503 shooting ... He finished the year with an 18.2 scoring average, second on the team to Danny Manning s 19.3 ... In a five-game series loss to the Utah Jazz in the first round of the 1992 NBA Playoffs, Harper averaged 18.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 4.6 assists in a team-high 41.2 minutes per game

1990-1991:
Harper missed the season s first 41 games while still recovering from knee surgery ... He was activated from the disabled list on January 25 and the Clippers again posted a better record with Harper in the lineup ... The Clippers went 17-24 after he returned and 16-18 when he started; they had posted a combined 30-65 record over parts of two seasons without him ... Harper had several highlights in his short season hitting 5 three-pointers in two games, scoring a season-high 36 points against the Boston Celtics on March 8, and blocking a career-high 5 shots against the Houston Rockets on February 28 ... Although he finished the year averaging 19.6 points, his field-goal percentage dipped to a career-low .391

1989-1990:
Just as the 1989-90 season got underway, the Cleveland Cavaliers traded Harper and three future draft choices to the Los Angeles Clippers for Reggie Williams and the rights to Danny Ferry ... In his first seven games with Cleveland, Harper had averaged 22.0 points, 7.0 assists, and 6.8 rebounds ... He didn t break stride with Los Angeles, moving into a starting role immediately and averaging 23.0 points, 4.8 assists, and 5.6 rebounds over the next 28 games ... Then disaster struck. Harper tore the anterior cruciate ligament and cartilage in his right knee on January 16 against the Charlotte Hornets ... He underwent surgery on January 23 and was out for the year ... The Clippers had posted a 14-14 record with Harper in the lineup. Without him, Los Angeles finished the season 16-38

1988-1989:
This was Harper's final full season in Cleveland, and it was memorable ... He started all 82 games and notched the first triple-double of his career on January 31 against the Philadelphia 76ers, totaling 25 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists ... He made his second appearance in the Slam Dunk Championship during the NBA All-Star Weekend in Houston and finished in seventh place ... For the year, Harper averaged 18.6 points and a career-high 5.3 assists, shooting a career-best .511 from the floor ... He led the Cavs in minutes played (2,851), field goals (587), and steals (185), then averaged 19.6 points in the postseason. However, after winning 57 regular-season games, the Cavaliers were upset by the Chicago Bulls, three games to two, in the first round of the playoffs

1987-1988:
The Cleveland Cavaliers opened the season with a 114-108 victory in New Jersey against the Nets ... But the next night against the Hawks in Atlanta, Harper severely sprained his ankle an injury serious enough to keep him out until late December ... Harper played in only 57 games this season, averaging 15.4 points ... Despite the injury, Harper led the Cavaliers in steals (122) and was third in assists (4.9 apg) ... He was at full strength for the playoffs, knocking down 30 points in Game 4 of a first-round series with the Chicago Bulls ... In Game 5 Michael Jordan reeled off 39 points, and the Bulls moved on with a 107-101 victory

1986-1987:
Some rookies stumble out of the gate, but not Ron Harper in his first NBA season in Cleveland ... The Cavaliers had a watershed year, taking Brad Daugherty with the first pick in the 1986 NBA Draft, selecting Harper at No. 8, and then acquiring the draft rights to Mark Price, who was picked in the second round by the Dallas Mavericks ... Harper had seen a lower level of competition playing collegiately at Miami of Ohio, but once in the NBA he proved he could have played at any major university ... Harper s 22.9 scoring average as a rookie would be the highest of his sparkling career ... He ranked 16th in the NBA in scoring and fourth in steals (2.55 per game) ... The league rewarded him with a spot on the NBA All-Rookie Team, and he was second only to the Indiana Pacers' Chuck Person in the NBA Rookie of the Year voting ... Cleveland was a sizzling 25-16 on its home floor but won only 6 of 41 games on the road. Turnovers spelled disaster for the Cavs ... Cleveland committed a league-high 1,619 turnovers, and Harper led the NBA in that category, with 345.

COLLEGE:
A 6-6 guard, Harper played college ball at Miami (Ohio), where he recorded huge offensive numbers. He poured in nearly 25 points per game in each of his final two seasons and put up a mark of 19.8 points per contest for his four-year career ... Drafted with the eighth overall pick in the 1986 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, he joined a team that included first-year players Brad Daugherty, Mark Price, and John "Hot Rod" Williams.