Lakers jersey history No. 4 — Ron Harper
As the Lakers approach their 80th season of existence (they were founded back in 1946 as the Detroit Gems in the National Basketball League), LeBron Wire is taking a look at each player who has worn their jersey, whether it has been a purple and gold one or the ones they donned back in the Midwest during their early years.
Let's take a look at Ron Harper, who helped the Lakers win back-to-back NBA championships in the twilight of his career.
When Harper started his pro career as the No. 8 pick in the 1986 draft, he was an acrobatic high-flyer. He averaged 22.9 points, 4.8 assists and 2.5 steals a game as a rookie and was the runner-up in the Rookie of the Year balloting.
While the 6-foot-6 guard continued to put up strong numbers in subsequent seasons, he suffered a torn ACL and torn cartilage in his right knee during the 1989-90 season and started to lose his vaunted athleticism. He signed as a free agent with the Chicago Bulls in 1994, and he started to reinvent himself as a defensive-minded role player.
He started alongside Michael Jordan in the Bulls' backcourt as the team won NBA championships in 1996, 1997 and 1998 under coach Phil Jackson. When the Lakers hired Jackson in 1999, he brought Harper with him to L.A.
Harper served as a buffer between Jackson and the rest of the team as the Lakers attempted to learn the complicated triangle offense that made the Jordan-led Bulls so successful. He started in 78 of his 80 games during the 1999-2000 season, and while he was limited to 47 games the following season, he still contributed to L.A.'s second straight world title.
Today, Harper is also known as the father of Dylan Harper, who was taken by the San Antonio Spurs with the No. 2 pick in this year's draft after a successful season at Rutgers University.
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