Justin Harper (basketball)
Justin Harper | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 30, 1989 United States |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Known for | Playing in the NBA and Japan's B.League |
Justin Oliver Harper (born August 30, 1989) is a professional basketball athlete from the United States, most recently playing for Fighting Eagles Nagoya in Japan's B. League. His NBA tenure includes stints with the Orlando Magic, Detroit Pistons, and Philadelphia 76ers. Harper developed his skills at the collegiate level representing the University of Richmond.
College career
During his final season with the Richmond program, Harper posted averages of 17.9 points and 6.9 rebounds per game while shooting 53% from the field. His performance earned him a place on the first-team All-Atlantic 10 squad alongside teammate Kevin Anderson. Additionally, he was honored with selection to the All-Fourth District first team by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
Professional career
Harper was chosen as the 32nd pick in the 2011 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, who immediately traded his rights to the Orlando Magic. Amid the 2011 NBA lockout, he competed with France’s SIG Strasbourg in the Ligue Nationale de Basketball. Harper officially signed with Orlando on December 9, 2011, but was released on October 27, 2012.
On November 2, 2012, he was selected third overall by the Idaho Stampede in the 2012 NBA Development League draft. Over 48 games in the 2012–13 season, he averaged 11.7 points and 6.5 rebounds.
For the 2013–14 season, Harper signed with Israel’s Hapoel Tel Aviv, followed by a move to Italy’s Sidigas Avellino for 2014–15. On September 18, 2015, he inked a deal with the Brooklyn Nets but was waived after participating in six preseason contests. Subsequently, Harper joined the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the D-League, recording seven points and one rebound in his debut. His strong play earned him a selection to the West All-Star team for the NBA D-League All-Star Game in January 2016.
Harper secured a 10-day contract with the Detroit Pistons on February 24, 2016, making his debut that evening by contributing one point and one steal. After signing a second 10-day deal in March, Detroit opted not to retain him for the remainder of that season. He then returned to the D-Fenders for the rest of the 2016–17 campaign.
In March 2017, Harper signed another 10-day contract, this time with the Philadelphia 76ers, before rejoining the D-Fenders—now renamed as the South Bay Lakers. On April 25, 2019, he signed with Puerto Rico’s Indios de Mayagüez.
Harper moved to Japan’s Kyoto Hannaryz of the B.League in August 2020 and extended his contract in June 2021. In July 2022, he transferred to Koshigaya Alphas, re-signing with them in May 2023. He later joined Fighting Eagles Nagoya in September 2024 but left by November 15.
Regular season
|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Orlando | 14 || 0 || 6.0 || .290 || .154 || .000 || .9 || .1 || .1 || .2 || 1.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Detroit | 5 || 0 || 7.0 || .400 || .444 || .500 || .2 || .0 || .2 || .0 || 2.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 3 || 0 || 10.0 || .417 || .286 || .000 || 2.0 || .0 || .7 || .0 || 4.0 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 22 || 0 || 6.8 || .340 || .276 || .333 || .9 || .2 || .1 || .1 || 2.0
Playoff Performance
|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2012 | style="text-align:left;"| Orlando | 1 || 0 || 5.0 || .000 || .000 || .000 || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Overall | 1 || 0 || 5.0 || .000 || .000 || .000 || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0
Regular Season Statistics
|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2020–21 | style="text-align:left;"| Kyoto | 34 || 30 || 25.4 || .494 || .377 || .800 || 6.6 || 1.2 || .6 || .5 || 12.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2021–22 | style="text-align:left;"| Kyoto | 54 || 53 || 32.4 || .512 || .377 || .733 || 8.5 || 1.7 || .6 || .6|| 19.1 |-