Dylan Harper gets LeBron James’ ultimate seal of approval as NBA Draft stock soars
By Ian Levy
Dylan Harper arrived at Rutgers as one of the most highly touted prospects in this freshman class and almost immediately delivered on his potential. Rutgers is just 10-10 and has slipped out of the AP Top 25 but Harper has not been the problem.
The 6-foot-6 wing is averaging 18.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game, shooting 48.8 percent from beyond the arc. He and fellow star recruit Ace Bailey will have their work cut out for them to get Rutgers into the tournament but it's clear that both have a bright future in the NBA. FanSided's NBA Draft expert, Chris Kline, has Harper ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the class on his latest Big Board and heading to the Utah Jazz with the No. 2 pick in his latest mock draft.
Draft experts and scouts aren't the only ones who are already taking notice of Harper — Lakers' star LeBron James recently sang his praises to reporters.
Lakers All-Star LeBron James tells me that he rocks with @RutgersMBB star @dy1anharper and thinks that Harper will be special in the NBA: "Special kid, special talent. He's gonna be really good in this league, comes from a great family....Me, Harp and his pops go back a while,… pic.twitter.com/UadESiPQFz
— 👑 Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson (@ScoopB) January 28, 2025
LeBron James is loving NBA Draft prospect Dylan Harper
Harper, of course, is the son of longtime NBA veteran Ron Harper, who won a total of five rings in his 15-year career — three with Michael Jordan and the Bulls and two more with Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal and the Lakers. He never played with LeBron James, retiring before LeBron entered the league but they clearly have made a personal connection over the years.
Harper also has another son — Ron Harper Jr., Dylan's brother — who has spent the past two seasons on the fringe of the NBA. Harper Jr. played four years for Rutgers and went undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft. He appeared in 10 games for the Toronto Raptors across the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. While not currently on an NBA roster, he's putting up 16.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game in the G League.
LeBron may be a fan of Harper but the chances of them ever being teammates are pretty slim. As mentioned above, Harper is likely to be a top-5 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. The Lakers pick is currently slotted at No. 22 but it's a moot point because they owe it to the Atlanta Hawks. This pick originally went to the Pelicans as part of the Anthony Davis trade, but they sent it on to Atlanta in the deal to acquire Dejounte Murray this offseason.
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