Derek Harper Biography

West Palm Beach, Florida native Derek Harper achieved his dream of playing in the NBA after a standout career at the University of Illinois.  While playing for the Fighting Illini in 1983 Harper earned All-American honors after scoring 15.4 points per game, launching him to the top of NBA Draft boards.  After the 1983 season he was selected in the 1st round as the 11th overall pick by the Dallas Mavericks and began his professional career in the NBA.  For the next 16 seasons Harper averaged 13.3 points and 5.5 assists per game while playing for the Mavericks, Knicks, Magic and Lakers, ultimately finishing with the eleventh most steals and seventeenth most assist in NBA history.  Despite this fact, Harper was never selected to an NBA All-Star game.  However, he is widely considered to be one of the most consistent players in NBA history on both sides of the court. 

Currently Harper serves as a game analyst for the Dallas Mavericks and also appears on KTXA in Dallas-Fort Worth as a weekend sports anchor.  In 2014 the Dallas Mavericks honored his career accomplishments by retiring his No. 12 jersey.

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