Rutgers star Dylan Harper marks brother Ron Harper Jr.’s 25th Birthday with special message

Rutgers basketball star Dylan Harper celebrated his older brother Ron Harper Jr.'s 25th birthday on Saturday. He marked the occasion by sharing heartfelt moments of their bond on his Instagram Story.

The first photo showed both the Scarlett Knight freshman star, celebrating with his older brother, who was in the stands.

"My blooddddddd happy birthday. Yk what it is over here love you," he captioned the photo.

The second photo showed both brothers, as children, posing in front of the camera as they played basketball.

"Manifested all of it," the photo was captioned.

Rutgers star Dylan Harper celebrates older brother Ron Harper Jr.'s birthday on IG story. Image via @dylharpp

Ron Harper Jr. was born on April 12, 2000 in Paterson, New Jersey. He began his collegiate basketball career as a four-star recruit at Rutgers, where he averaged 7.8 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. As a starter in his sophomore year, Harper Jr. averaged 12.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. He also earned All-Big Ten Honorable Mention and was named to the Second Team All-Met.

As a junior, he helped the Scarlet Knights to their first NCAA Tournament in 30 years and also averaged 14.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. After Rutgers' loss in the First Four of the 2022 men's NCAA Tournament, Harper Jr. declared for the NBA draft but went undrafted. However, he went on to play for the Toronto Raptors and Maine Celtics before joining the Detroit Pistons in the NBA this January.

Dylan Harper chooses NBA counterpart ahead of 2025 NBA draft

Rutgers star Dylan Harper declared for the 2025 NBA draft, and he is already projected as the second overall pick after Duke freshman star Cooper Flagg. Ahead of the draft, Harper reflected on the comparison between himself and Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham in a recent interview.

"The way he leads, the way he gets to his spots," Harper said when asked who he thinks is his NBA player comparison. "His overall game like he's playing to win. He's a star player on that team. Overall his mindset going into a game. We're both 6'6. We both use our bodies well. Big guards, can see over a lot of people. Just winners and want to win basically."

Dylan is a second-generation talent as his father, Ron Harper played in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls and the LA Lakers. Over his 15-year career in the league, Harper Sr. won five championships. Meanwhile, Dylan played just one season of college basketball, averaging 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game while shooting 48.4% from the field.