Derek Ricardo Harper (born October 13, 1961) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player. A second-team All-American at the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Unive ...

, he was the 11th overall pick of the 1983 NBA draft and spent 16 seasons as a point guard in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues i ...

with the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Southwest Division. The ...

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associa ...

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was estab ...

and Los Angeles Lakers. Harper is widely regarded as one of the best players to never have been selected to an All-Star game.

College

After graduating from Roosevelt Junior High School and then North Shore High School in

West Palm Beach West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

, Harper played three seasons for the Fighting Illini and coach

Lou Henson Louis Ray Henson (January 10, 1932 – July 25, 2020) was an American college basketball coach. He retired as the all-time leader in victories at the University of Illinois with 423 victories and New Mexico State with 289 victories. Overall, Hens ...

having his best season in 1982–1983, when he led the Fighting Illini in scoring with 15.4 points per game. Harper was named First-Team All-

Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

and Second-Team

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n in 1983, and was Honorable Mention All-Big Ten in both 1981 and 1982. Harper averaged 4.7 assists per game for his collegiate career, and led the

in assists in the 1981–1982 season. Harper was elected to the " Illini Men's Basketball All-Century Team" in 2004.

Professional career

Dallas Mavericks (1983–1993)

At 6 ft 4 in, Harper was drafted by the

with the 11th overall pick of the 1983 NBA draft. He spent his first ten seasons with them, averaging 15 points and 6.1 assists. For almost the entire time in his first stint with the team, he was part of the starting backcourt tandem with All-Star shooting guard

Rolando Blackman Rolando Antonio Blackman (born February 26, 1959) is a Panamanian-American former professional basketball player. He was a four-time NBA All-Star who spent most of his career with the Dallas Mavericks. Blackman was born in Panama City, Panam ...

. The Mavericks made the playoffs 6 out of the 10 years of Harper's tenure with the team, and they made it to the Western Conference Finals in the 1987–1988 season, but they were never able to replicate that success for any other season of Harper's time in Dallas. He had multiple seasons of averaging well over 10 PPG, and became known for being both a great scorer and defender. His best season came in 1990–1991 where he averaged 19.7 PPG. But he still wasn't selected to be an all star and the Mavericks finished that year with an unpleasant 28–54 record. Harper still played well for the rest of his time in Dallas, but the team was atrocious. In the 1992–1993 season especially, the Mavericks finished 11–71 which is one of the worst records of all time. Harper spent 2 more seasons with the Mavericks before leaving the team during the 1993–1994 season.

New York Knicks (1993–1996)

Harper was traded to the

(where he was reunited with Blackman) 28 games into the 1993–94 season. The Knicks were looking for a defensive point guard to replace the injured

Doc Rivers Glenn Anton "Doc" Rivers (born October 13, 1961) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After playing for Marquette Universit ...

, who was sidelined for the rest of the season. The shift sent him from a team that finished 13–69 to being an integral part of one that came within one game of winning the 1994 NBA Championship. His stats declined as he had to adjust to having less of an individual role, but his best season with the Knicks came in his last year with the team where he averaged 14.0 PPG. On July 14, 1996 he was released by the Knicks and became a free agent.

Return to Dallas (1996–1997)

Harper returned to Dallas after signing with the Mavericks on July 26. In his return he averaged 10.0 PPG and 4.3 APG. He played well at the age of 35 but the Mavericks were still a bad team, finishing the season with only 24 wins. This would be the final season that he would play for the Mavericks.

Orlando Magic (1997–1998)

Harper was traded by the Mavericks with

Ed O'Bannon Edward Charles O'Bannon Jr. (born August 14, 1972) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was a power forward for the UCLA Bruins on their 1995 NCAA championship team. He was selecte ...

to the

for Dennis Scott and cash. He played one season for the Magic, his scoring and overall play dropped off but he was still a solid bench player. The Magic had a decent roster but the team was very old. 16 out of the 22 players on the roster were either 30 years old or older, Harper was one of those 16 players (he was 36 at the time). The team had an average record of 41–41 and missed the playoffs. Harper's contract expired in the 1998 offseason and he left the team.

Los Angeles Lakers (1999)

Harper signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers were a great team and had a young

Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), known commonly as "Shaq" ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program '' Inside the NBA''. O'Neal is regarded as one of the great ...

and

Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant ( ; August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely ...

leading the way. They made the playoffs and it was the first time Harper had reached the playoffs since 1996 with the Knicks. The Lakers made it to the second round but got swept by the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...

. This would be the final year of Harper's career.

Retirement

In the 1999 offseason, the Lakers traded Harper to the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...

, but he didn't report to the team. He retired from the NBA shortly after. On December 18, 2017, the Mavericks announced that they were planning to retire Harper's no. 12 jersey, which was eventually retired on January 7, 2018.

Personal life

Harper lives in Dallas with his family. His daughter Dana Harper was a contestant on season 11 of ''

The Voice The Voice may refer to: Fictional entities * The Voice or Presence, a fictional representation of God in DC Comics * The Voice (''Dune''), a fictional ability in the ''Dune'' universe * The Voice, a character in the American TV series ''Cleop ...

''. He is now a game analyst for the Dallas Mavericks on their locally broadcast games. Beginning in fall 2005, he was the weekend sports anchor at

KTXA KTXA (channel 21) is an independent television station in Fort Worth, Texas, United States, serving the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is owned by the CBS News and Stations group alongside Fort Worth–based CBS station KTVT (channel 11). ...

serving the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex until the station ended its newscasts. The Dallas Mavericks retired Harper's #12 jersey during halftime of a game between the New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks on Sunday, January 7, 2018.

Honors

Basketball

* 1981 – Honorable Mention All-

* 1982 – Honorable Mention All-Big Ten * 1983 – Team Captain * 1983 – Team MVP * 1983 – 1st Team All-Big Ten * 1983 – 2nd Team All-American * 2004 – Elected to the " Illini Men's Basketball All-Century Team". * 2008 – Honored as one of the 33 honored jerseys which hang in the

State Farm Center The State Farm Center is a large dome-shaped 15,544-seat indoor arena located in Champaign, Illinois, owned and operated by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The arena hosts games for the Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball, w ...

to show regard for being the most decorated basketball players in the University of Illinois' history. * 2018 – Dallas Mavericks #12 jersey retired

College statistics

NBA career statistics

Harper played in 1,199 regular season games in his career, tying him for 35th in NBA history (as of the 2013–14 NBA season). He retired having the 11th-most steals and the 17th-most assists in NBA history. He is also the Mavericks' career leader in those categories.

Regular season

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Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

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, 82 , , 1 , , 27.0 , , .520 , , .344 , , .721 , , 2.4 , , 4.4 , , 1.8 , , .5 , , 9.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 79 , , 39 , , 27.2 , , .534 , , .235 , , .747 , , 2.9 , , 5.3 , , 1.9 , , .3 , , 12.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 77 , , 76 , , 33.2 , , .501 , , .358 , , .684 , , 2.6 , , 7.9 , , 2.2 , , .3 , , 16.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 82 , , 37.0 , , .459 , , .313 , , .759 , , 3.0 , , 7.7 , , 2.0 , , .4 , , 17.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , 81 , , 36.6 , , .477 , , .356 , , .806 , , 2.8 , , 7.0 , , 2.1 , , .5 , , 17.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 82 , , 36.7 , , .488 , , .371 , , .794 , , 3.0 , , 7.4 , , 2.3 , , .3 , , 18.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 77 , , 77 , , 37.4 , , .467 , , .362 , , .731 , , 3.0 , , 7.1 , , 1.9 , , .2 , , 19.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 65 , , 64 , , 34.6 , , .443 , , .312 , , .759 , , 2.6 , , 5.7 , , 1.6 , , .3 , , 17.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 62 , , 60 , , 34.0 , , .419 , , .393 , , .756 , , 2.0 , , 5.4 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , 18.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 28 , , 28 , , 31.9 , , .380 , , .352 , , .560 , , 2.0 , , 3.5 , , 1.6 , , .1 , , 11.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, 54 , , 27 , , 24.3 , , .430 , , .367 , , .743 , , 1.6 , , 4.4 , , 1.5 , , .1 , , 8.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 80 , , 80 , , 34.0 , , .446 , , .363 , , .724 , , 2.4 , , 5.7 , , 1.0 , , .1 , , 11.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 82 , , 35.3 , , .464 , , .372 , , .757 , , 2.5 , , 4.3 , , 1.6 , , .1 , , 14.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 75 , , 29 , , 29.5 , , .444 , , .341 , , .742 , , 1.8 , , 4.3 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , 10.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures r ...

, 66 , , 45 , , 26.7 , , .417 , , .360 , , .696 , , 1.6 , , 3.5 , , 1.1 , , .2 , , 8.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L. A. Lakers , 45 , , 29 , , 24.9 , , .412 , , .368 , , .813 , , 1.5 , , 4.2 , , 1.0 , , .1 , , 6.9 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 1,199 , , 883 , , 31.5 , , .463 , , .354 , , .745 , , 2.4 , , 5.5 , , 1.6 , , .3 , , 13.3

Playoffs

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1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast As ...

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, 10 , , – , , 22.6 , , .389 , , .375 , , .714 , , 2.0 , , 2.8 , , 1.1 , , .2 , , 5.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

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, 4 , , 0 , , 33.0 , , .476 , , .333 , , .714 , , 3.0 , , 5.0 , , 1.5 , , .3 , , 6.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 **Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal enter ...

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, 10 , , 10 , , 34.8 , , .533 , , .571 , , .750 , , 1.9 , , 7.6 , , 2.3 , , .0 , , 13.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airpor ...

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, 4 , , 4 , , 30.8 , , .500 , , .222 , , .800 , , 3.0 , , 6.8 , , 1.8 , , .0 , , 16.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1988 , style="text-align:left;",

, 17 , , 17 , , 35.4 , , .441 , , .250 , , .729 , , 2.5 , , 7.1 , , 1.9 , , .3 , , 13.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...

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, 3 , , 3 , , 39.7 , , .438 , , .313 , , .688 , , 2.7 , , 7.7 , , 1.3 , , .0 , , 19.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson Ma ...

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, 23 , , 22 , , 32.6 , , .429 , , .341 , , .643 , , 2.3 , , 4.5 , , 1.8 , , .0 , , 11.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake strike ...

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, 11 , , 11 , , 35.3 , , .514 , , .574 , , .750 , , 3.5 , , 5.6 , , 1.0 , , .1 , , 14.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 800, causing the plane to crash and killing everyone on b ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 8 , , 8 , , 36.6 , , .354 , , .314 , , .733 , , 2.1 , , 4.8 , , 1.3 , , .1 , , 10.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school s ...

, style="text-align:left;", L. A. Lakers , 7 , , 0 , , 16.1 , , .419 , , .100 , , .500 , , 1.4 , , 2.1 , , .3 , , .0 , , 4.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 97 , , 75 , , 31.9 , , .449 , , .365 , , .712 , , 2.4 , , 5.3 , , 1.5 , , .1 , , 11.3

References

External links

Career Statistics
at basketball-reference.com

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harper, Derek 1961 births Living people African-American basketball players All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players American sports announcers Basketball players from Georgia (U.S. state) Dallas Mavericks draft picks Dallas Mavericks players Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball players Los Angeles Lakers players McDonald's High School All-Americans National Basketball Association players with retired numbers New York Knicks players Orlando Magic players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) People from Elbert County, Georgia Point guards 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople

College

Professional career

Dallas Mavericks (1983–1993)

New York Knicks (1993–1996)

Return to Dallas (1996–1997)

Orlando Magic (1997–1998)

Los Angeles Lakers (1999)

Retirement

Personal life

Honors

Basketball

College statistics

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

See also

References

External links