Rutgers star Dylan Harper was selected by the San Antonio Spurs with the second pick in the 2025 NBA draft. As the second pick, Harper will earn approximately $56 million on his four-year rookie contract. It is a massive figure that will set his family up for the rest of his life, even if his career does not go as planned.
However, Harper is not unaccustomed to wealth. His father, Ron Harper, played in the NBA from 1986 to 2001. In that time, Harper earned approximately $35 million (as per Yahoo Sports).
While that is a huge sum of money, what is surprising is that his son will earn more on his rookie contract than Ron did throughout his entire NBA career.
This is wild 😭😭😭
(via @darrenrovell) pic.twitter.com/uao4YT3LA9
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) June 26, 2025
How Did Dylan Harper Make More Than His Dad?
NBA draft picks have their contracts determined based on when they were drafted. That is how the media is able to determine how much Dylan Harper is going to make on his contract, even though he has not technically signed it yet.
However, the real reason behind Harper making more than his father is because of the natural economic growth of the NBA. The NBA operates under a soft salary cap, which increases each season based on league revenues. Next season, the cap will be set at $154,647,000 (as per Spotrac). Teams can exceed that threshold by paying into the luxury tax.
$154 million is a lot of money, and since NBA roster sizes are small, the stars eat up a large percentage of the cap. The cap has increased significantly since Ron Harper was last in the NBA.
Harper was last in the NBA in 2000-01 and that year the salary cap was only $35.5 million. When Harper entered the league in 1986-87, the cap was just under $5 million.
So, Ron Harper never had the opportunity to make as much money as his son. Nevertheless, the 61-year-old had a good career, winning five NBA championships.
If Dylan Harper is successful in the NBA, he could get to the point where he will make more in one year than his father made in his entire career. It will be interesting to see how he progresses in the rest of his career.
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