Past, present Celtics teammates react to Ron Harper Jr. new deal
Boston Celtics guard Ron Harper Jr. fought his way to the green team, earning a contract in training camp in August and a two-way deal just before the 2025-26 regular season in early October. And while the 25-year-old had only played 11 games previously in the NBA, he made a name for himself in Boston and landed a standard contract in the process, as NBA insider Shams Charania announced Saturday that Harper Jr. had agreed to a two-year deal with the Celtics.
This season, the New Jersey native has played in 26 games and even started in 2. He’s averaging 3.4 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.7 assists per outing, but the stats don’t tell the whole story. Harper Jr. has been a solid option off the bench for the Celtics, providing timely shots from time to time and always playing with effort, especially on the defensive end.
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Her work ethic is evident and she made this contract news inevitable rather than surprising. Harper Jr.’s current teammates, including Max Shulga, Neemias Queta, Amari Williams and Baylor Scheierman, have all celebrated his first real NBA contract on social media. Additionally, even former Celtics tight end Josh Minott was happy to see his former teammate on Boston’s playoff roster:
It seems like destiny that the Celtics’ next game will be against the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors launched Harper Jr.’s professional career with a two-way deal in 2022, but they never offered him a standard contract. This allowed Harper Jr. to be picked up by Boston’s G League affiliate (the Maine Celtics) in 2024, foreshadowing his eventual more official return to the C’s a year later.
It will come full circle Sunday afternoon at TD Garden when Harper Jr. and company look to sweep the season series with the Raptors.
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: The Celtics are happy to see Ron Harper Jr. land an official NBA contract.
