Every athlete who takes up a professional sport faces a lot of pressure in his/her career. For Rutgers Scarlet Knights junior Ron Harper Jr., there’s added compulsion to succeed in his life as he is the son of a 5-time NBA champion! 

Ron Harper requires very little introduction as he’s accomplished a lot in the NBA. Harper has played with both Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant in his career, and now his son Ron Harper Jr. is following in his footsteps. 

Ron Harper Jr. on the role his father plays in his career

Ron Harper is an accomplished basketball player who learned a lot about the sport. He’d naturally have a lot of knowledge to impart into his son, which he would often do. However, the former Lakers guard is not the naggy father who’s always on the back of his son. 

“He’s always texting me about the games, he’s always watching every one of them. Some people might not know what my dad is like. He’s a really laid out basketball guy,” Harper Jr. revealed on ‘The Field of 68’ podcast. 

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“People expect my dad to text me like paragraphs of what I need to do better, what I need to work on. But if it is a good game he will text me ‘Level head son, back to work tomorrow,’ if it’s a bad game, he’ll text me, ‘Extra shooting, get the shot and the next one is gonna go in’,” Harper Jr. added. 

The aspiring basketball player appreciates his father’s priorities 

So we now know that Ron Harper is someone who’s relaxed about his kid’s career path. “He’s really laid back and that type of stuff, people expect him to be like this is dad coach but he’s not like that at all,” Harper Jr. mentioned.

The Scarlet Knights guard just has one more year left in college after the ongoing 2020-21 season. He can either choose to declare for the NBA draft in 2021 or complete his senior year at Rutgers, and the decision could come either way from the 20-year-old. 

From what we’ve learned, Ron Harper would not trouble his son’s mind too much in forcing him to make a decision.  

“He gives me space when it comes to basketball, you know, I appreciate that because he knows the pressure, he’s felt it before, and having a father that high profile, he just tries to be a dad first and then the basketball coach second,” Harper Jr. expressed. 

Ron Harper Jr. has vastly improved his game and is now averaging 17.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game in the ongoing college basketball season. Will he find success as much as his father did in the NBA?

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