By ANGELO CAPARAS
Another Filipino-American will be flying the country’s colors in the NBA.
That, after scoring guard, Dylan Harper, a young cager with Filipino heritage, was selected No.2 overall by the San Antonio Spurs just behind highly-touted Cooper Flagg of the Dallas Mavericks in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Harper, who traces his roots to Bataan, was a two-way guard from Rutgers University and has now become the fourth player with Filipino blood to ever set foot in the big league.
Dylan, is the younger brother of Ron Harper Jr. and the son of five-time NBA champion Ron Harper Sr. to his wife Maria Pizarro who hails from Bataan.
Maria, who migrated to the US when he was seven and was once a University of New Orleans player, joined Dylan on the draft night and was even interviewed by the television broadcast.
“I think when you play with a bunch of great players, it brings the best out of you. They’ve got a great young core over there. I’m just ready to get in there and make an impact any way I can with those guys.” said Harper who will be joining Victor Wembanyama, De’Aaron Fox, and Stephon Castle in the Spurs young core.
Harper is now the fifth Fil-American to set foot in the PBA following Raymond Townsend, microwave scorer Jordan Clarkson, high-flying guard Jalen Green and brother Ron Jr.
Green, like Harper, was also a second overall pick by the Houston Rockets in the 2021 draft though he was recently traded to the Phoenix Suns.
The younger Harper, for his part, also hopes to make a mark in the NBA after a splendid collegiate career where he averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 boards, and 4 dimes per game in his freshman season, shooting an efficient 48.4% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc.
