<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-dylan-harper-undergoes-thumb-surgery-before-training-camp');   ga('set', 'title', 'Spurs’ Dylan Harper undergoes thumb surgery before training camp');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Dylan-Harper-dribbles-the-ball-during-Summer-League.jpg"><figcaption>Candice Ward-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Spurs’ Dylan Harper undergoes thumb surgery before training camp</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-05T16:10:47-07:00">September 5th, 4:10pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-05T19:04:24-07:00">September 5th, 7:04pm</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NBA, and MLB for ClutchPoints. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The San Antonio Spurs finally seem ready to make a big jump in the Western Conference standings after assembling an abundance of young talent over the last few years. One cannot account for injury misfortune, however. Rookie guard Dylan Harper, the No. 2 overall pick in the NBA Draft, underwent surgery on Friday to <a href="https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/1964099982203429355" rel="noopener">repair a partially torn ligament</a> in his left thumb, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.</p><p>Harper suffered the injury during a workout on Wednesday. The Spurs hope that he will be ready for action once <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/san-antonio-spurs/san-antonio-spurs-2025-26-season-predictions-nba-schedule-release">the new season</a> begins on Oct. 22. Every moment of preparation is important for an NBA newcomer, especially one who could carry a sizable workload in his first campaign. San Antonio will obviously exercise patience and prioritize the 19-year-old’s long-term health, for it understands his value to the franchise.</p><p>The Spurs and fans alike will breathe sigh of relief, as the news could have been far worse. A longer adjustment period is a burden everyone will embrace if it means Harper is healthy for the majority of the 2025-26 campaign. No one likes inconveniences, particularly fan bases that have seen their squad endure six consecutive losing seasons, but it is important to look at the big picture. And it still looks quite bright.</p><p>Victor Wembanyama plans to be ready for opening tip-off after being diagnosed with <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/victor-wembanyama-chris-bosh-history-blood-clots-nba-players">deep vein thrombosis</a> last season. The All-Star center would have claimed the Defensive Player of the Year award if he did not have to step away from the game in February. He will enter next season as motivated as ever. Fellow Rookie of the Year winner Stephon Castle is also aiming to take a step forward. Point guard De’Aaron Fox will try to bring out the best of the young core and also enjoy a notable campaign himself.</p><p>There is promise on the horizon, and when Dylan Harper gets fully healthy, fans will ideally be able to see it up close.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Spurs’ Dylan Harper undergoes thumb surgery before training camp

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/nba-stories/nba-news-cooper-flagg-dylan-harper-lead-nba-2k26-rookie-ratings');   ga('set', 'title', 'Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper lead NBA 2K26 rookie ratings');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Cooper-Flagg-Dylan-Harper-NBA-NBA-2K26-San-Antonio-Spurs-Dallas-Mavericks.jpg"><figcaption>CP</figcaption></figure><h1>Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper lead NBA 2K26 rookie ratings</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-12T17:07:04-07:00">August 12th, 5:07pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-12T17:07:28-07:00">August 12th, 5:07pm</time><address><a>Tomer Azarly</a>Tomer Azarly is in his ninth season as the LA Clippers beat writer and NBA reporter for ClutchPoints. From the Lob City era to the Kawhi Leonard-James Harden era, he brings you everything you need to know about the Clippers as well as coast-to-coast coverage of the NBA.In his free time, Tomer likes to play basketball, video games, and draw.You can follow his Twitter and Instagram for all Clippers content.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Dallas Mavericks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>While the NBA offseason is in full swing, the release of the upcoming video game NBA 2K26 is just around the corner. That means finding out the ratings for all players, including Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, and the upcoming rookie class in the new NBA 2K.</p><p>To no one’s surprise, Dallas Mavericks forward and No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg leads the way, but what about the rest of the group?</p><h2><b>Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper lead NBA 2K26 rookie ratings</b></h2><p>NBA 2K26 has been slowly releasing ratings for some players as well as their attributes. All this will count down to the reveal of the top 10 NBA players in 2K26. </p><p>On Tuesday evening, the video game company released their <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA2K/status/1955403931787358228">top rookie ratings</a> on their social media accounts. Cooper Flagg of the Dallas Mavericks led the way as the highest rated rookie with an 82 overall.</p><p>San Antonio Spurs rookie and No. 2 overall pick Dylan Harper came in second with a rating of 78.</p><p>Utah Jazz rookie and No. 5 overall pick Ace Bailey is the third highest rated rookie with a 77 overall, followed by Philadelphia 76ers No. 3 pick VJ Edgecomb at 76 overall and Charlotte Hornets No. 4 overall pick Kon Knueppel at a 75 overall.</p><p>Tre Johnson of the Washington Wizards was also given a 75 overall, Khaman Maluach of the Phoenix Suns was given a 74 overall, and Jeremiah Fears of the New Orleans Pelicans was given a 73 overall. Tied for ninth and 10th among rookie ratings were Egor Denim of the Brooklyn Nets and Collin Murray-Boyles, both given a 72 overall.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The future is bright 🤩</p><p>Here are the Top 10 rookies entering the League in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBA2K26?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBA2K26</a> <a href="https://t.co/EeQOe6zIAx">pic.twitter.com/EeQOe6zIAx</a></p><p>— NBA 2K (@NBA2K) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA2K/status/1955403931787358228?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 12, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>NBA 2K is expected to release the top 10 players list sometime in the next couple weeks. In the meantime, they have already announced the <a href="https://x.com/NBA2K/status/1954981142450352474">top 10 shooters</a> —led by Stephen Curry’s 99 — and the <a href="https://x.com/NBA2K/status/1955343562498818356">top 10 ball-handlers</a> — led by Kyrie Irving’s 99.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Elite from long range 👌</p><p>Here are your Top 10 shooters from beyond the arc in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBA2K26?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBA2K26</a> <a href="https://t.co/AECIhLjaFy">pic.twitter.com/AECIhLjaFy</a></p><p>— NBA 2K (@NBA2K) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA2K/status/1954981142450352474?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 11, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Watch your ankles 😮‍💨</p><p>The Top 10 players with the tightest handles in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBA2K26?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBA2K26</a> <a href="https://t.co/QCK0MPL9mF">pic.twitter.com/QCK0MPL9mF</a></p><p>— NBA 2K (@NBA2K) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA2K/status/1955343562498818356?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 12, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>This year’s edition of NBA 2K26 will feature Oklahoma City Thunder star and newly crowned NBA Champion Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the cover athlete. Chicago Sky star Angel Reese will grace the cover of the WNBA edition of the video game. Carmelo Anthony will also be a cover athlete for the Superstar edition of the video game.</p><p>NBA 2K26 is scheduled to be released on September 5, 2025, with early access to the game expected to start on August 29, 2025.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper lead NBA 2K26 rookie ratings

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-cooper-flagg-dylan-harper-dallas-spurs-season-opener');   ga('set', 'title', 'How Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper will make history in Mavericks-Spurs season opener');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Cooper-Flagg-and-Dylan-Harper.jpg"><figcaption>Candice Ward-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>How Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper will make history in Mavericks-Spurs season opener</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-12T07:58:18-07:00">August 12th, 7:58am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-12T07:58:18-07:00">August 12th, 7:58am</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California. Mistretta graduated from Biola University with a degree in broadcast journalism.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Dallas Mavericks</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-cooper-flaggs-debut-comes-victor-wembanyama-espn">Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs will play</a> on October 22 to begin their 2025-26 regular seasons. It also represents the first career regular season contests for 2025 No. 1 and No. 2 overall picks Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper. According to NBA Communications, the Flagg-Harper clash <a href="https://x.com/NBAPR/status/1955244278898115035" rel="noopener">will accomplish something</a> that has only been seen once since 1966.</p><p>“The scheduled matchup between Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper is set to mark the second time since 1966 that the top two picks in the same NBA Draft will face each other in the first career regular-season game for both players. The previous instance was in 2015 (Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell),” the account shared on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-news-dallas-officially-selects-cooper-flagg-2025-nba-draft">Flagg was selected first overall by the Mavs</a> in the 2025 NBA Draft. Expectations are extremely high for the 18-year-old. He is the most notable top pick since Victor Wembanyama — who of course plays with the Spurs.</p><p>Harper, 19, also has high expectations with San Antonio. He would have been the No. 1 overall pick in many other NBA Drafts. Flagg is considered by some to be a generational talent so he was selected first overall, but Harper has an opportunity to be a star in the NBA as well.</p><p>With both players ending up in Texas, there could be a competitive rivalry brewing between the two. The Mavs and Spurs already have a rivalry of course, and now we may see Flagg and Harper go head-to-head for years to come. With the Houston Rockets also set to compete at a high level in 2025-26, Texas basketball will be must-watch throughout the upcoming campaign.</p><p>The Mavericks will host the Spurs on Wednesday, October 22 in the teams’ season openers. The game is scheduled for 9:30 PM EST and is set to be played following the Cleveland Cavaliers-New York Knicks contest, which is <a href="https://x.com/NBAPR/status/1955237468464153060" rel="noopener">scheduled for 7:00 PM EST</a> on October 22.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

How Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper will make history in Mavericks-Spurs season opener

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/san-antonio-spurs/who-is-dylan-harper-mom-maria-about-former-hooper');   ga('set', 'title', 'Who is Dylan Harper’s mom Maria? All about the former hooper married to 5-time NBA champ');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/766029412-who-is-dylan-harpers-mom-maria-all-about-the-former-hooper-married-to-5-time-nba-champ.jpg"></figure><h1>Who is Dylan Harper’s mom Maria? All about the former hooper married to 5-time NBA champ</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-28T13:29:14-07:00">July 28th, 1:29pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-28T13:29:14-07:00">July 28th, 1:29pm</time><address><a>Bailey Bassett</a>Bailey Bassett is a sports writer from Denver, Colorado, covering major sports events and athlete backgrounds at ClutchPoints. He has experience covering and writing on high school, collegiate, and professional sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Harper family is becoming quite the powerhouse in basketball. Of course, it is Dylan Harper who is most in the spotlight right now. The<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-news-dylan-harpers-1-word-reaction-signing-rookie-contract"> San Antonio Spurs made the Rutgers product the number two overall pick</a> in the 2025 NBA Draft. Harper put his skills on display and showed everybody why he could be a future All-Star with <a href="https://www.nba.com/2025-summer-league-vegas-player-stats" rel="noopener">averages of</a> 16 points and two assists per game during the Summer League, and he is projected to play a key role on a Spurs team looking to jump to contention status sooner rather than later.</p><p>Harper’s dad, Ron Harper, won five championships during his time in the NBA, and Ron Harper Jr. was under contract with the Detroit Pistons until just days ago. Another Harper has broken into the public eye. Dylan’s mom and Ron’s wife, Maria Harper, went viral on draft day, but just who is Maria?</p><h2><b>Who is Dylan Harper’s mom, Maria Harper?</b></h2><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/spurs-news-dylan-harper-mom-goes-viral-2025-nba-draft">Maria Harper went viral on draft night</a> during her son’s interview session after being drafted by the Spurs. While being interviewed by Monica McNutt, Dylan detailed the emotions of making it to the league and what he brings to the table for his new team. Additionally, Ron Jr. wished his little brother good luck and affirmed how proud the family is of his basketball journey.</p><p>What most caught the eye of social media was Maria, though, both for her stunning looks and mesmerizing draft-day outfit, and for what she had to say about why her son made it this far in hoops. Dylan has praised his mother as being a big reason why he has made it to this stage in the basketball world.</p><p>Maria said, “His flat-out love for the game, his determination, his humility, and his hard work [is what got him to the NBA].”</p><p>Those were kind words from someone who has been there every step of the way during Dylan’s journey, but Maria has <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DLc9V8jMYBq/?igsh=YjJ3bnN0ajh6YXRi" rel="noopener">an impressive basketball story</a> in her own right. Maria played Division 1 college basketball at the University of New Orleans from 1993-96. Maria wasn’t blessed as a shooter, but she was a gritty player who always gave maximum effort.”</p><p>In <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/4683552/2023/07/12/dylan-harper-basketball-recruiting-rutgers-duke/" rel="noopener">an interview</a> with The Athletic, Maria said, “I was super scrappy. I defended the hell out of the ball. I created offense through defense. I wasn’t a knockdown shooter. I looked to get my teammates involved. And I just loved it so much.”</p><p>The commitment to hard work and the little things, as well as an advanced understanding of playmaking, were traits clearly passed down to Dylan. After all, Maria coached Dylan most of his life. Maria served as the head coach at DePaul Catholic High School. She’d also become Dylan’s first coach in elementary school and would remain his coach all the way through high school as an assistant at Don Bosco Preparatory High School. During his high school tenure under his mother’s tutelage, Dylan would establish himself as one of the best players in the country.</p><h2><b>The other hoopers in the Harper family</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/766029418-dylan-harper-jersey.jpg"><figcaption>Scott Wachter-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Dylan averaged 22.4 points per game en route to a state championship during his senior year of high school. he became a five-star recruit and would commit to Rutgers, the same school that his older brother played at. For the Scarlet Knights, Dylan teamed up with fellow five-star Ace Bailey to form one of the greatest recruiting classes ever for a non-Blue Blood program.</p><p>Without much help around them, the freshman pairing wasn’t able to lead their squad to much team success, but Dylan displayed his NBA-level talent all season long. Dylan averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and four assists per game. He is a versatile player who can do a little bit of everything, and the Spurs believe he has superstar potential alongside Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle, and De’Aaron Fox, the former two of whom have won each of the last two Rookie of the Year awards, something Harper could realistically do a third straight season for the Spurs.</p><p>Dylan’s brother, Ron Jr., has already had a taste of the NBA as well. Ron Jr. was widely considered arguably the best undrafted player in the class of 2022. He hasn’t found a home yet, but he has spent time with the Toronto Raptors, Detroit Pistons, and numerous G-League programs. Thus far, Ron Jr. has averaged four points and seven rebounds through three seasons and 11 total games played. Ron Jr.’s rebounding, in particular, is impressive and will surely land him another contract in the NBA.</p><p>He was most recently signed to a two-way deal with the Pistons, but <a href="https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2025/07/ron-harper-jr-released-by-pistons.html" rel="noopener">the team released him</a> on July 24. Ron Jr.’s father and namesake, Ron Sr., had quite the NBA career. Ron started his career as a scoring machine with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Clippers. He averaged 22.9 points per game as a first-year player and only trailed Chuck Person in Rookie of the Year voting.</p><p>Eventually, Ron would take more of a team-oriented role and focus on defense and the dirty work that winning requires. The point guard’s averages plummeted with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, but both of those teams were stacked with stars and went down in the history books as dynasties. Ron won five championships over his last handful of seasons with those two teams.</p><p>Basketball runs in the family, and the future is bright for Dylan Harper, especially because he has Maria, Ron Sr., and Ron Jr. to guide him through his journey.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Who is Dylan Harper’s mom Maria? All about the former hooper married to 5-time NBA champ

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/san-antonio-spurs/san-antonios-biggest-dylan-harper-concern-after-2025-nba-summer-league');   ga('set', 'title', 'San Antonio’s biggest Dylan Harper concern after 2025 NBA Summer League');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/San-Antonios-biggest-Dylan-Harper-concern-after-2025-NBA-Summer-League.jpg"><figcaption>Dylan Harper biggest bet of the Spurs</figcaption></figure><h1>San Antonio’s biggest Dylan Harper concern after 2025 NBA Summer League</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-28T08:20:28-07:00">July 28th, 8:20am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-28T08:20:28-07:00">July 28th, 8:20am</time><address><a>Rohan Brahmbhatt</a>Rohan Brahmbhatt is an adventure-driven sports writer, passionate footballer, mountaineer, and photojournalist. Rohan blends firsthand experience with storytelling—capturing the intensity of sport and the thrill of exploration. Whether on the field, a mountain trail, or behind the lens, he brings authentic, high-energy narratives that connect readers to the heart of the action.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The 2025 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas served as the first on-court glimpse of Dylan Harper in a San Antonio Spurs uniform. Selected second overall in this year’s draft, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-news-dylan-harpers-1-word-reaction-signing-rookie-contract">Harper arrived in Vegas</a> with enormous expectations, both from the Spurs’ fanbase and around the league. And while his physicality, poise, and feel for the game all flashed, one issue stood out amid the positive buzz: efficiency.</p><p>After missing the California Classic and the Spurs’ first Vegas contest due to a groin injury, Harper suited up against the Dallas Mavericks in a much-anticipated showdown with No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/san-antonio-spurs/why-spurs-leave-summer-league-with-as-many-questions-as-answers">Harper poured in 16 points and six rebounds</a>, followed that up with another 16 points against the Utah Jazz. But underneath the scoring were warning signs: poor shooting percentages and limited playmaking production.</p><h2>The stats behind the Dylan Harper hype</h2><p>Across two games, Harper averaged:</p><p>At first glance, 16 points per game is impressive, especially for someone returning from injury. But for a guard expected to run the offense and create for others, the numbers feel underwhelming when weighed against the efficiency drop-off.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Dylan Harper going coast to coast for the and-1 🌊 <a href="https://t.co/V6l1j00u7x">pic.twitter.com/V6l1j00u7x</a></p><p>— NBA TV (@NBATV) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1944947551926407562?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 15, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Moreover, Harper only tallied four assists, a modest return for a player whose college scouting report highlighted his vision and passing ability. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/san-antonio-spurs/summer-league-impact-spurs-make-big-difference">The Spurs may not have built</a> their Summer League scheme around Harper as the primary ball handler, but it’s still concerning that his distribution hasn’t popped.</p><p>Spurs Summer League coach Mike Noyes candidly addressed the inefficiency, emphasizing how difficult it is for a rookie to enter high-stakes NBA environments after months away from organized basketball.</p><p>“The expectations shouldn’t be high,” Noyes said. “He is right where he needs to be.”</p><p>This could simply be a rookie finding his rhythm. Still, for a team like San Antonio, where expectations are tied closely to the growth of Victor Wembanyama and the development of young guards, the bar isn’t merely “solid showings.” Harper is expected to contribute early and ideally, efficiently.</p><h2>What the Spurs need from Harper long-term</h2><p>The Spurs didn’t just draft Harper for his talent; they drafted him for fit. At 6-foot-6, he offers positional versatility, the ability to guard multiple spots, and a frame that can absorb contact in the paint. All these traits can help in taking pressure off Wembanyama, who needs a strong perimeter partner to shoulder some creation duties.</p><p>The issue? Efficiency is everything when playing next to a generational big man. Floor spacing, smart decision-making, and timely ball movement are crucial in maximizing Wembanyama’s impact. Harper’s early tendency to take tough shots and force plays could stunt that synergy.</p><p>A key critique of Harper’s game during his lone season at Rutgers was his shot diet: long twos, contested mid-range looks, and inconsistent mechanics from deep. Those problems appeared again in Vegas.</p><p>Rather than leveraging his frame to collapse defenses and make plays, Harper sometimes settled for jumpers or forced tough finishes. That’s fine in college, but against NBA defenders, the room for error shrinks drastically.</p><p>If San Antonio wants him as their point guard of the future, his shot selection must mature.</p><h2>Encouraging signs that can’t be ignored</h2><p>Despite the shooting issues, Harper’s poise has stood out. He doesn’t rush his game. He gets to his spots deliberately and looks comfortable navigating screens and mismatches. These are rare traits for a 19-year-old.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Dylan Harper in NBA SL Debut vs Mavs..</p><p>16 PTS (5-12 FG)<br>6 REBS<br>2 AST<br>2 STLS</p><p>How we feeling about his first SL game??? <a href="https://t.co/AAZAGnr4UT">pic.twitter.com/AAZAGnr4UT</a></p><p>— Frankie Vision (@Frankie_Vision) <a href="https://twitter.com/Frankie_Vision/status/1944158289148662050?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 12, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>He’s also physically NBA-ready. Harper absorbs contact well and is capable of defending multiple guard positions. This is where the Spurs’ optimism stems, not just from what he does now but also from what he can become.</p><p>Summer League coach Noyes also hinted at a larger plan. “If he focuses on defense and makes the right play for the team, his conditioning will be way better once the season comes around.”</p><h2>The bigger picture: Development over dominance</h2><p>Much like the Mavericks did with Flagg, the Spurs shut Harper <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/spurs-dylan-harper-summer-league" rel="noopener">down after two games</a>. It wasn’t injury-related; it was precautionary. The team saw what it needed to see, and it wanted to avoid any unnecessary risk.</p><p>This signals something critical: development, not dominance, is the priority. The Spurs, under GM Brian Wright and head coach Mitch Johnson, are not interested in microwave results. They’re in this for the long haul.</p><p>Still, the efficiency issue is more than a Summer League hiccup; it’s a continuation of questions that existed during his pre-draft evaluations.</p><p>Harper now has two full months to recalibrate. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/san-antonio-spurs/biggest-san-antonio-spurs-overreactions-2025-nba-summer-league">Spurs training camp will offer a better setting</a> to integrate him into their actual system and alongside real teammates like Devin Vassell, Jeremy Sochan, and, of course, Wembanyama.</p><p>In that time, look for the Spurs’ staff to emphasize:</p><h2>Harper is where he needs to be, but that may not be enough</h2><p>Dylan Harper has the frame, skill set, and pedigree to be a difference-maker. But San Antonio has seen what happens when a promising guard fails to adapt quickly, see the ups and downs of Joshua Primo and even Blake Wesley.</p><p>The Spurs’ biggest concern isn’t about whether Harper can play; it’s how quickly he can play well.</p><p>For now, Harper’s Summer League showing is a mixed bag: encouraging in flashes, but still shadowed by inefficiency and unrefined decision-making. He’s healthy. He’s hungry. But the margin for error narrows when you’re playing next to a superstar-in-the-making like Victor Wembanyama.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Dylan Harper

Latest Dylan Harper News

Spurs’ Dylan Harper undergoes thumb surgery before training camp

Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper lead NBA 2K26 rookie ratings

How Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper will make history in Mavericks-Spurs season opener

Who is Dylan Harper’s mom Maria? All about the former hooper married to 5-time NBA champ

San Antonio’s biggest Dylan Harper concern after 2025 NBA Summer League

Dylan
Harper