Harper shows heart of Filipino

NEW YORK — Dylan Harper paid tribute to his Filipino roots after the San Antonio Spurs selected him at No. 2 behind top overall pick Cooper Flagg in the 2025 NBA Draft at Barclays Center here in Brooklyn on Thursday (Manila time).  

Harper became the second player of Filipino descent to become the No. 2 overall pick in NBA history after Jalen Green, who was recently traded from Houston to Phoenix. 

After Harper’s selection, ESPN posted a social media graphic featuring him alongside the other NBA players with Filipino heritage: Green, Jordan Clarkson, Jared McCain and Raymond Towsend. 

“It definitely is surreal just because of my mom's family history, mom's family background and all the efforts that her family put into me,” Harper said of representing the Philippine culture in the NBA.

 “Just me wanting to rep them and wanting to be out there and show my colors and show truly who I am. So, it's definitely great.

Harper is the son of Maria Pizarro with her ex-husband, five-time NBA champion Ron Harper, Sr. Harper’s older brother, Ron Jr., went undrafted in 2022 after a four-year stint at Rutgers. He is currently on a two-way contract with the Detroit Pistons. 

Pizarro hails from Bataan and migrated to the United States when she was seven. She was a former Division I basketball player at the University of New Orleans. She transitioned to coaching after her playing years. 

Right now, she is an assistant coach with the Don Bosco Prep men’s basketball team, where her sons played before attending Rutgers. 

Harper credits his mother as his first coach. 

Pizarro was married to Harper Sr. from 2005 to 2012. They have three children – Ron Jr., Dylan and Mia. 

Both Harper Sr. and Pizarro were at Dylan’s table on draft night. Dylan’s maternal grandparents, Manuel and Lillia Pizarro, were also in attendance. He embraced every one of them before he went up to the stage to shake NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s hands. 

“It means everything to me,” Harper said of his family attending the NBA Draft with him. 

“It means the world. I think my family has been there with me through thick and thin, through times when it got rough, when we were all the way at the top of the mountain. Just to have them here supporting me, either from the table or from the stands, I appreciate it. I truly love each and every one of them.”

The Spurs added Harper, who averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists for the Scarlet Knights, to their collection of young talents led by Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle. The two Spurs’ young cornerstones were named the NBA Rookie of the Year, respectively, over the last two seasons. 

The Spurs held on to Castle and their No. 2 pick, which they used on Harper, instead of trading them for Kevin Durant. The addition of Harper has pushed them to the eighth-best championship odds at Wildz online casino after the draft. 

They did not reach the playoffs last season with injuries to Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox. 

Harper doesn’t see any problem at all, joining Castle and Fox in the Spurs backcourt. 

“When you play with such good players, it just elevates your game,” he said. 

“When you’ve got that many ball handlers on the court, you can really space the court out. It makes the game so much easier for everyone else. Having the opportunity to be on the floor with all of them is great.”