Spurs rookie drills game-winner over Celtics guard as proud dad Ron Harper Sr. watches and smiles.
On Friday night at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, CA, the NBA Rising Stars Challenge got underway, where Maine Celtics guard Ron Harper Jr. was the lone representative for the Boston Celtics (35-19) organization.
Harper was a part of Team Austin Rivers - a team of seven G League players as a part of this now annual four-team, one-night tournament, coached by former NBA guard Austin Rivers.
Before we dive into Harper’s performance, let’s give you a refresh of what this event is all about - because as with most things associated with All-Star games across all sports, things have changed in recent years.
For the fifth straight season, the Rising Stars Challenge will use a four-team, three-game tournament format, with each roster featuring seven players. Three of the squads are made up of NBA rookies and sophomores, while the fourth represents the G League’s top talent.
Instead of traditional timed quarters, every matchup is decided by a “final target score.” The two semifinal games were played to 40 points, and the championship game was a race to 25 to crown the Rising Stars winner. The first game was Team Carmelo Anthony taking on Team Austin Rivers, followed by Team Tracy McGrady against Team Vince Carter.
…did you follow all that?
Look, it’s kind of quirky. But it’s all in good fun, and the guys actually tend to play harder during this event than any of the other players do at any other event at All-Star Weekend.
With that in mind, watching Harper start in the first game against a team that saw his younger brother - Spurs guard Dylan Harper - also get the starting nod was a pretty cool moment.
Feb 13, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Team Melo guard Dylan Harper (2) of the San Antonio Spurs controls the ball against Team Austin guard Ron Harper Jr. (13) of the Boston Celtics during the first half of an NBA All Star Rising Stars game at Intuit Dome. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)“That’s gotta be dope,” head coach Rivers was caught saying in a mic’d up moment while on the bench. “He’s playing against his brother on NBA All-Star Weekend. How surreal is that, man? I know Pops is proud right now.”
By “Pops,” Rivers is referencing five-time NBA champion Ron Harper. The Bulls legend and his two sons will be participating together in Saturday night’s Shooting Stars event.
But until then, they were opponents.
And unfortunately for the Harper representing the Celtics, little bro got the best of big bro on Friday night.
In the game’s last possession, with his team down 38-34, the older Harper was guarding the younger Harper one-on-one. Dylan needed two points to secure the win, where Ron needed the stop to keep the game alive.
Dylan went behind the back, then put his older brother in a blender for an easy fadeaway in the lane.
Like they had probably done against each other so many times in the Harper-family-driveway as kids, the boys were matched up head-to-head. And on Friday night, Dylan got the best of Ron.
It was a cool moment.
The Peacock cameras cut to their dad, who was smiling and laughing in the crowd.
The stat lines and score for this game didn’t matter. But that moment will forever be ingrained for the Harper family.
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Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.