Dylan Harper (Screenshot from NBA video)
MANILA – Dylan Harper became the second player of Filipino descent to be taken second overall in the National Basketball Association (NBA) Draft after the San Antonio Spurs selected the combo guard on Thursday (Philippine time) at the Barclays Center in New York City.
The son of NBA legend Ron Harper and his Filipino wife, Maria, Dylan was drafted immediately after the Dallas Mavericks selected Cooper Flagg first overall.
“It definitely is surreal just because of my mom’s family history and my family background and all the efforts her family put into me. Me just wanting to rep them, be out there, just show true to who I am, it’s definitely great,” Dylan said after he was drafted.
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Dylan joins former National Basketball Training Center standout Jalen Green as the only two Filipino-Americans to be drafted at number two in the NBA, the fourth to be taken in the first round, along with NBA legend Raymond Townsend and former Rookie of the Year contender Jared McCain, and fifth overall to be drafted to the league counting second-round selection Jordan Clarkson, who eventually became a member of Gilas Pilipinas.
Harper is set to team up with 2024 Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama in San Antonio as the team begins contending again after years of rebuilding that bore fruit with the draft selections of the aforementioned players.
South Sudanese player Khaman Maluach, one of the inspiring stories of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup in the Philippines, was drafted 10th overall by the Phoenix Suns, who acquired the pick from the Houston Rockets as part of the Kevin Durant trade that also sent Green to Phoenix.
The Portland Trail Blazers, on the other hand, pulled off a shocker by agreeing on a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies to drop down to number 16 in the draft and select Chinese center Yang Hansen.
Yang, who was projected to be a second-round pick, was among the biggest winners of the draft as he was selected way earlier than expected.
The Oklahoma City Thunder, the newly crowned NBA champions, stacked up for their title defense and the foreseeable future by picking Thomas Sorber 15th overall and Nique Clifford 24th overall.
By having the best record during the regular season, the Thunder was supposed to be drafting 30th overall in the first round, but due to earlier trades, they did not just move up the draft but also had multiple first-rounders.
The Brooklyn Nets, the hosts of the draft, ended up with five first-round picks, headlined by number eight pick Egor Demin. (PNA)