Matt Harpring
Matthew Harpring | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 31, 1976 United States |
| Occupation(s) | Professional basketball player (retired), sports broadcaster |
| Years active | 1998–2010 (player), 2010–present (broadcaster) |
| Known for | NBA player for Orlando Magic, Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers, Utah Jazz; color analyst for Utah Jazz broadcasts |
Matthew Joseph Harpring (born May 31, 1976) is a retired American professional basketball athlete who competed for 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and subsequently worked as a color analyst alongside play-by-play announcer Craig Bolerjack for the Utah Jazz.
College career
Harpring attended Marist School near Atlanta before enrolling at Georgia Tech to play collegiate basketball, where he was a consistent starter throughout all four years. He received First Team All-ACC recognition on three occasions, a feat matched only by Mark Price. During his senior season (1997–98), he posted personal best averages of 21.6 points and 9.4 rebounds per game, ranking second in the ACC in both categories, and earned Third Team All-American honors.
He concluded his Georgia Tech tenure as the school's second-leading scorer with 2,225 points and second in rebounds with 997. Additionally, he holds the institution’s records for both free throws attempted (675) and made (508). His jersey number 15 was retired before his final home game. In 2002, Harpring was honored by being named to the ACC 50th Anniversary men's basketball team, acknowledging him among the fifty greatest players in conference history.
On the academic front, Harpring graduated with a bachelor's degree in business management from Georgia Tech. He was recognized three times as a GTE Academic All-District III honoree and earned Academic All-American status during his senior year.
Early professional career
Harpring was chosen by the Orlando Magic as the 15th overall pick in the first round of the 1998 NBA draft. In his rookie campaign, he averaged 8.2 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, starting in 22 out of 50 games with improved averages of 10.5 points and 5.5 rebounds when in the starting lineup. His performance earned him a place on the 1998–99 NBA All-Rookie First Team.
His sophomore season was limited to just four games due to a left ankle injury. In August 2000, Harpring was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for center Andrew DeClercq. Over one season with Cleveland, he averaged 11.1 points and 4.3 rebounds across 56 games and recorded a personal best of 28 points against the Charlotte Hornets on March 16, 2001.
In August 2001, Cleveland traded Harpring along with Cedric Henderson and Robert Traylor to the Philadelphia 76ers in return for Tyrone Hill and Jumaine Jones. During the 2001–02 season with Philadelphia, Harpring played in 81 games, setting new career highs by averaging 11.8 points and 7.1 rebounds per contest, including five games where he scored at least 20 points.
Utah Jazz
Harpring joined the Utah Jazz as a free agent in August 2002. Renowned for his basketball IQ and dedication, he flourished playing alongside stars like Karl Malone and John Stockton, posting career-best averages of 17.6 points per game while shooting an efficient 51.1% from the field and 41.3% from beyond the arc. He set new personal scoring records with 30 points against the Los Angeles Clippers on November 26, 2002, followed by a career-high 33 points versus the Minnesota Timberwolves three days later. His progress earned him second place in voting for the NBA’s Most Improved Player during the 2002–03 season, finishing behind Golden State’s Gilbert Arenas.
Prior to the start of the 2003–04 campaign, Stockton retired and Malone signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, resulting in Harpring being appointed team captain by coach Jerry Sloan. He provided veteran leadership for a youthful roster while averaging 16.2 points and eight rebounds over 31 games before a knee injury prematurely ended his season; at that point, he was Utah’s top scorer.
Returning for the next season, Harpring experienced diminished minutes due to rising star Andrei Kirilenko, who became an All-Star, along with new additions power forwards Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur joining the lineup.
By 2009, after enduring several injuries and an ankle infection following surgery, Harpring suggested that continuing his professional playing career was unlikely though he did not officially retire at that time. He briefly transitioned into broadcasting as a color commentator for the Jazz.
Since 2010, Harpring has established himself as a primary color analyst for Jazz broadcasts on AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain, blending his dry wit with play-by-play announcer Craig Bolerjack’s commentary to enhance viewers’ experience.
Oklahoma City Thunder
On December 22, 2009, Harpring's contract was transferred from the Jazz to the Oklahoma City Thunder along with point guard Eric Maynor in return for the rights to 2002 draft selection Peter Fehse. Harpring chose not to join Oklahoma City and was released on February 22, 2010. Following this, he took on a role as a studio analyst for NBA TV.
Awards and honors
In 2017, Harpring earned induction into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.
Regular season
|- | align="left" | | align="left" | Orlando | style="background:#cfecec;"| 50* || 22 || 22.3 || .463 || .400 || .713 || 4.3 || .9 || .6 || .1 || 8.2 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Orlando | 4 || 0 || 15.8 || .235 || 1.000 || .857 || 3.0 || 2.0 || 1.3 || .3 || 4.0 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Cleveland | 56 || 55 || 28.8 || .454 || .250 || .812 || 4.3 || 1.8 || .8 || .3 || 11.1 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Philadelphia | 81 || 81 || 31.4 || .461 || .304 || .743 || 7.1 || 1.3 || .9 || .1 || 11.8 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Utah | 78 || 69 || 32.8 || .511 || .413 || .792 || 6.6 || 1.7 || .9 || .2 || 17.6 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Utah | 31 || 31 || 36.6 || .471 || .242 || .688 || 8.0 || 2.0|| .7|| .1||16.2 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Utah | 78||55||33.1||.489||.209||.778||6.2||1.8||.9||.2||14.0 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Utah |71||32||27.4||.475||.359||.725||5.2||1.4||.8||.2||12.5 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Utah |77||2||25.5||.491||.333||.767||4.6||1.3||.7||.1||11.6 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Utah |76||0||18.1||.500||.200||.712||3.2||1.1||.6||.2||8.2 |- | align="left" | | align="left" | Utah |63||2||11.0||.461||.000||.764||2.0||0.4||0.5||0.1||4.4 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career |665||349||26.4||.481||.333||.753||5.1||1.4||0.7||0..2|||11..5
Playoffs
|- | align="left" | 1999 | align="left" | Orlando |4|||0|||20..5|||..462|||..200|||..727|||5..0|||1..8|||..3|||..0|||8..3 |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |-
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Career highlights
- Highest points scored – 33 against the Minnesota Timberwolves on November 29, 2002
- Top rebounds – 19 versus the Orlando Magic on November 17, 2003
- Most assists – 7 in a game against the Charlotte Hornets on March 16, 2001
- Maximum steals – 4, achieved on six occasions
- Peak blocks – 3, recorded twice
- Longest playing time – 49 minutes against the Sacramento Kings on November 1, 2000
Personal life
Harpring and his spouse Amanda, who works as a doctor, are parents to five children: Luke Matthew, Kate Eileen, Robert, and Matthew. Their oldest son Luke is a football player at Georgia Tech, which is also Harpring's former university.