Meet Spurs Star Dylan Harper's Brother, Celtics Player Ron Harper Jr.

Dylan Harper and his brother, Ron Harper Jr., have both found NBA success

NEED TO KNOW

• Ron Harper Jr. was raised by parents Ron and Maria Harper alongside brother Dylan and sister Mia
• Dylan plays for the San Antonio Spurs, while Ron Jr. is on the Boston Celtics
• Ron Jr. is supportive of his brother, although they’ve faced off on the court before

Dylan Harper has proven himself to be a star on the San Antonio Spurs, but he's not the only Harper in the NBA.

His brother, Ron Harper Jr., is a player on the Boston Celtics. The two grew up in a basketball family: Their father, Ron Harper, won five championships with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, while their mom, Maria, is a basketball coach. They welcomed Ron Jr. in 2000, Dylan in 2006 and their daughter Mia in 2010.

Ron Jr. couldn't be more supportive of his younger brother, especially as he watches Dylan play on the world's biggest stage — the 2026 NBA Finals.

"Being able to watch Dylan live out his dreams and be able to be effective … it was just a really special moment," Ron told ESPN after Game 1. “I was in my apartment wearing my Dylan Harper shirt, rooting for him and going crazy every time he did something."

Here's everything to know about star San Antonio Spurs guard Dylan Harper's brother, Ron Harper Jr.

His father is a former NBA champion

Ron Jr. is named after his famous father, Ron, who won three championships in a row from 1996 through 1998 as the starting point guard on Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls. He also won two more championships as a point guard for the 2000 and 2001 Lakers, led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal.

However, Ron told his kids to focus on their own paths, telling them they could do something other than basketball if they wanted to.

“When they were younger, both wanted to play in the NBA. I said, ‘OK, work hard at it, stay positive and don't let nobody discourage you. Because everybody's going to compare you to what I did,' ” Ron told NBA.com in June 2026. “I would've been fine if they chose to do something else in life, as long as they did something positive. But they wanted to play in the NBA. That was their dream, not mine, since they were small. And they wanted to play in the NBA at the same time, and here they are.”

His mom is a coach

Growing up, Ron Jr. didn't just receive basketball advice from his father, but from his mother, Maria, too. She coached Ron Jr.'s AAU team while he was growing up, per the Daily Tribune, and later joined the coaching staff at New Jersey's Don Bosco Prep, where Dylan and Ron Jr. attended.

Ron Jr. credits his mom for her sacrifices, inspirational teachings and basketball acumen.

“She's an amazing woman. She deserves all the credit in the world … she sacrificed her time and her money to make sure that her kids got the best basketball experience in the world and it's something I'll be grateful for my entire life,” Ron Jr. told Playitright TV in December 2021. “She's done wonders in my life. She's taught me that anything is possible in any situation and she's my rock and she's the reason I am where I am today, basketball wise and off the court too.”

He is the oldest of three siblings, including his sister Mia

Ron Jr. was born in 2000, followed by Dylan in 2006. Four years later in 2010, Ron and Maria welcomed their daughter, Mia.

Still in high school, Mia isn't interested in basketball — although her brother, Dylan, told NorthJersey.com in February 2024 that he thinks Mia would be like "Caitlin Clark" if she attempted the sport. Instead, she's focused on being a dancer at Studio L in New Jersey.

Plus, Mia doesn't let her brothers' fame get to her. "[My brothers are] just normal to me,” she told the outlet. “They're fun to hang around with.”

Ron Jr. and Dylan were competitive growing up

While growing up, Ron Jr. tried to beat Dylan at everything from video games to basketball, knowing Dylan would one day have that same drive to best others.

“My philosophy as an older brother was that I wasn't gonna let him win at nothing,” Ron Jr. said on the Cousins with Vince Carter & Tracy McGrady podcast in February 2026. “If we was playing basketball on the 10-foot hoop, we was playing on the mini-tyke hoop, if we was playing 2K, I always wanted to win and by as much as possible."

Ron Jr. added that "it didn't really bother" him when his brother would get upset. "I'm like, ‘Dylan, one day you gonna do that to somebody else,' and that's exactly what I used to tell him and my mom," he continued. "They used to be like ‘Why can't you just let him win? He's the younger brother.' I don't really believe in that.”

Ron Jr. is a guard-forward for the Boston Celtics

Ron Jr.'s path toward NBA stardom has been different than that of his brother Dylan's. After going undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft, he's mostly played on two-way contracts, switching between the G League and NBA.

However, shortly after scoring a career-high 22 points against Dylan and the Spurs, Ron Jr. earned himself a two-year NBA contract with the Boston Celtics, becoming a permanent fixture on their roster. After the Celtics' final game of the 2025-26 season, he called the experience "really rewarding."

“The time that I'm putting in, the effort I'm putting it doesn't go unnoticed," Ron Jr. told reporters. "This year's just been really, really rewarding … just being able to come back to Boston, earn a roster spot and be a part of a great organization. I feel like it's paid dividends for me in my career and I'm just really grateful to be in this situation.”

Ron Jr. is Dylan's biggest fan

Dylan made waves during his rookie season, becoming a member of the Kia All-Rookie First Team. Dylan even became the youngest player to ever score 10 or more points in a NBA Finals game during Game 1.

Ron Jr. couldn't be happier seeing his younger brother succeed. "It was definitely a little nerve-racking, but the way he was playing definitely calmed me down a little bit,” Ron Jr. told ESPN in June 2026 after Game 1. “He had a great night. He played really well and he made history.”

Ron Jr. and Dylan are always in touch — especially after big games. “We talk every day, whether it's a Facetime call [or] a text message,” Ron Jr. continued. “We talk all the time every day, pretty much after every game, so you know we're always there for each other."

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