Jared Lamar Harper (born September 14, 1997) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player for

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...

of the Spanish

Liga ACB The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administrated by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, wi ...

and the EuroLeague. He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the

Auburn Tigers The Auburn Tigers are the athletic teams representing Auburn University, a public four-year coeducational university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. The Auburn Tigers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...

where he was the starting point guard on the Tigers first ever Final Four team.

Early life

Harper began playing basketball with a

Nerf Nerf is a toy brand formed by Parker Brothers and currently owned by Hasbro. Most of the toys are a variety of foam-based weaponry, with other Nerf products including balls for sports such as American football, basketball, and baseball. The ...

hoop in his dining room. He also played

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

and the

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

during his childhood. In basketball, Harper usually faced older opponents despite being undersized. He often trained with his younger brother Jalen under the guidance of his father Patrick Harper, former

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run t ...

for

Elizabeth City State University Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) is a public historically black university in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. It enrolls nearly 2,500 students in 28 undergraduate programs and 4 graduate programs and is a member-school of the Thurgood Mars ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

High school career

Harper played basketball for

Pebblebrook High School Pebblebrook High School is a high school in the Cobb County School District in Mableton, Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeas ...

Mableton, Georgia Mableton is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Cobb County, Georgia, United States. According to the 2020 census, Mableton has a population of 40,834. Upon Brookhaven's cityhood in December 2012, Mableton became ...

. As a junior in 2014–15, Harper averaged 21 points and seven assists per game and led Pebblebrook to a school-best 27–6 record. Pebblebrook finished the season as Georgia Class 6A runners-up after losing to

Joseph Wheeler High School Wheeler High School is located in northeast Cobb County, Georgia. It is near the U.S. city of Marietta, about 15 miles (24 km) northwest of downtown Atlanta. The school has been in operation since 1965. It is a public high school, accredited by th ...

, a team featuring top recruit

Jaylen Brown Jaylen Marselles Brown (born October 24, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one year of college basketball for the California Golden Bears, being n ...

, in the state title game. In July 2015, Harper was named co-

most valuable player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

(MVP) of the

Nike Elite Youth Basketball League The Nike Elite Youth Basketball League, also known as Nike EYBL, or simply EYBL, is a basketball circuit for teams of players aged 17 and under. The circuit was founded in 2010 and is composed of AAU travel teams. Both boys and girls play in the E ...

(EYBL) Peach Jam, scoring a 33 points and eight assists to help the Georgia Stars win the championship. In his senior season with Pebblebrook, he averaged 27 points, 10.1 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 3.7 steals, guiding his team to a 23–10 record and another Class 6A state championship appearance. Harper left high school as a two-time first-team All-State selection. He was a consensus four-star recruit in the 2016 class and committed to

Auburn Auburn may refer to: Places Australia * Auburn, New South Wales * City of Auburn, the local government area *Electoral district of Auburn *Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region *Auburn, South Australia *Auburn, Tasmania *Aub ...

on March 19, 2015. His other

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...

offers included

Kansas State Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...

and Ole Miss.

College career

Harper averaged 11.4 points, 3.0 assists, and 1.2 steals per game, starting 30 games for Auburn in his freshman season. On January 7, 2017, he scored a season-high 24 points, including 16 of Auburn's final 19 points, in an 88–85 loss to Ole Miss. Harper was named SEC Freshman of the Week twice during the season. In 2017–18, through 34 games as a sophomore, he averaged 13.2 points, 5.4 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. On February 3, 2018, Harper posted a

double-double In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the term ...

of 14 points and 14 assists in a 93–81 win over Vanderbilt. He was one assist away from matching the school record for assists in a game, set by Eddie Johnson in 1976. One week later, Harper tied his scoring career-high, contributing 24 points and seven assists in a 78–61 victory over

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. He was a second-team All-SEC selection by the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

and conference coaches. Harper made his junior season debut on November 6, 2018 by recording his second career double-double, with 20 points and 13 assists, in a 101–58 win over

South Alabama South Alabama is the various parts of southern Alabama. Although it is not a strictly defined geographic region, it generally includes all Alabama counties south of the Black Belt. In that view, ''South Alabama'' consists of just the two counties ...

. On December 15, 2018, he scored a career-best 31 points in a 75–71

overtime Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways: *by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society), ...

win over UAB. At the end of the regular season, Harper earned second-team All-SEC honors from the Associated Press and conference coaches. In the NCAA tournament, Harper helped to lead the Tiger's to their first ever Final Four with a team high 26 points in the Tigers Elite Eight win against

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

Professional career

Phoenix Suns (2019–2020)

After his junior season concluded, Harper declared his entry into the

2019 NBA draft The 2019 NBA draft was held on June 20, 2019. It took place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible players, i ...

, forgoing his senior year at Auburn. However, he went undrafted by the end of the event. Harper later played for the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

during the

2019 NBA Summer League The 2019 NBA Summer League was held at the Thomas and Mack Center and Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada on the campus of University of Nevada, Las Vegas. It began on July 5 and ended on July 15. All 30 teams and two national teams, China and Croat ...

in Las Vegas. Following his performance in the Summer League, he signed a

two-way contract A two-way contract is a professional sports contract that stipulates that an athlete's salary is dependent upon the league in which the athlete is assigned to play. This is opposed to a one-way contract that would pay the same salary regardless of ...

with Phoenix. On October 23, 2019, Harper made his NBA debut coming off the bench in a 124–95 victory over the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

. On December 20, Harper recorded 25 points and dished out a career-high 13 assists in a 94–99 loss to the

Fort Wayne Mad Ants The Fort Wayne Mad Ants are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and are affiliated with the Indiana Pacers. The team plays their home games at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum. The M ...

. On January 18, 2020, Harper scored 31 points to go with seven assists, four rebounds and two steals in the G League for the

Northern Arizona Suns The Motor City Cruise are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Detroit, Michigan, and are affiliated with the Detroit Pistons. The Cruise play their home games at Wayne State Fieldhouse. The franchise began play a ...

in a 120–109 loss to the

Sioux Falls Skyforce The Sioux Falls Skyforce are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and are affiliated with the Miami Heat. The team plays their home games in the Sanford Pentagon, a place they have call ...

. On March 14, Harper was waived by Phoenix.

New York Knicks (2020–2021)

On June 25, 2020, 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 Associat ...

announced that they had claimed Harper off waivers. On November 25, Harper re-signed with the Knicks to a

with the

Westchester Knicks The Westchester Knicks are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in White Plains, New York, and are affiliated with the New York Knicks. The Knicks typically play their home games at Westchester County Center in White ...

. He appeared in four games with New York and 12 games with Westchester, averaging 21.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and a team-high 6.9 assists with the latter. On April 23, New York converted his two-way contract into a 10-day contract. However, ten days later, the Knicks signed him to another two-way contract.

New Orleans Pelicans / Birmingham Squadron (2021–2022)

On September 24, 2021, Harper signed with the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division and play their hom ...

. However, he was waived on October 9. On October 25, he signed with the

Birmingham Squadron The Birmingham Squadron are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Birmingham, Alabama, and are affiliated with the New Orleans Pelicans. The team plays their home games at Legacy Arena. The team began play in 2019 ...

as an affiliate player. In 14 games, he averaged 21.3 points, 6.9 assists, and 2.9 rebounds in 32.7 minutes per game. On December 21, 2021, Harper signed a two-way deal with the

. However, he was waived on January 9, 2022 and was re-acquired by Birmingham three days later. On March 29, he signed a new two-way deal with the Pelicans. On April 9, Harper scored a career-high 12 points, alongside a career-high three steals, in a 114–141 loss to the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...

. The next day, he logged a career-high nine assists, alongside ten points, in a 107–128 loss to the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

Valencia (2022–present)

On September 7, 2022, Harper signed with

Valencia Basket Valencia Basket Club S.A.D., commonly known as Valencia Basket (), is a professional basketball team based in Valencia, Spain. The team plays in the Liga ACB and the EuroLeague, with home games played at the Fuente de San Luis. The club is spons ...

of the Spanish

and the EuroLeague.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

, 3 , , 0 , , 2.7 , , .250 , , .000 , , , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .7 , - , 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 * '' ...

, 8 , , 0 , , 2.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , .750 , , .3 , , .1 , , .0 , , .0 , , .4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, 5 , , 0 , , 8.6 , , .538 , , .417 , , 1.000 , , .4 , , 2.8 , , .8 , , .3 , , 7.4 , - class:"sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 16 , , 0 , , 4.2 , , .441 , , .333 , , .875 , , .3 , , .9 , , .3 , , .1 , , 2.6

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;",

, 32 , , 30 , , 24.2 , , .385 , , .344 , , .705 , , 1.9 , , 3.0 , , 1.2 , , .1 , , 11.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 34 , , 30.5 , , .360 , , .355 , , .822 , , 2.4 , , 5.4 , , 1.2 , , .0 , , 13.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , style="text-align:left;",

, style="background:#cfecec;", 40* , , style="background:#cfecec;", 40* , , 33.0 , , .399 , , .370 , , .828 , , 2.5 , , 5.8 , , 1.1 , , .1 , , 15.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 106 , , 104 , , 29.5 , , .384 , , .359 , , .792 , , 2.3 , , 4.8 , , 1.2 , , .0 , , 13.5

References

External links

Auburn Tigers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harper, Jared 1997 births Living people American men's basketball players Auburn Tigers men's basketball players Basketball players from Atlanta Birmingham Squadron players New Orleans Pelicans players New York Knicks players Northern Arizona Suns players People from Mableton, Georgia Phoenix Suns players Point guards Undrafted National Basketball Association players United States men's national basketball team players Westchester Knicks players