BOSTON — Ron Harper Jr. has long awaited this moment. After four two-way contracts, the 25-year-old has finally signed a two-year NBA contract, as reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Harper Jr. has appeared in 26 games for the Celtics this season, averaging 3.4 points and 1.6 rebounds in 10.4 minutes per game. Of late, he’s had several standout performances for the Celtics; last month, he exploded for 22 points on 8-11 shooting against the San Antonio Spurs. Last week, he had a great first-quarter
stint against the Charlotte Hornets — scoring 7 quick points — before he went down with an ankle sprain.
Harper Jr. had a standout season with the Maine Celtics before primarily joining the parent club in January. He averaged 24.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists, while shooting 37.7% from three in the G-League.
And while he hasn’t shot particularly well in very limited minutes in Boston, his shooting has nonetheless impressed his teammates.
“Ron’s one of the best shooters on our team,” Jaylen Brown proclaimed a few weeks ago. Harper Jr. proceeded to shoot 60% from three in March.
While this is his first year actually under contract with the Celtics, Harper Jr. is very familiar with the organization; he spent the 2024 and 2025 NBA training camps with Boston and was also on the Celtics’ Summer League team in 2024.
“I feel like I know the system; the coverages are like the back of my hand,” Harper Jr. said in February. “That was a big part of the process and the decision to be coming back in the summer — I just knew the team, I knew the coaches, I knew the system.”
After his first NBA start, a Celtics win over the Houston Rockets on February 4th, Harper Jr. said he felt he made the right decision to rejoin the Celtics organization.
“I felt like I could excel,” Harper Jr. said then. “I feel like it’s working out pretty good so far.”
Now, he’s officially achieved something he’s long desired: an NBA contract.
