How tall is Derek Harper

Derek Ricardo Harper (born October 13, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. A second-team All-American at the University of Illinois, he was the 11th overall choose of the 1983 NBA draft and spent 16 seasons as a point guard in the National Basketball Association next the Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers. Harper is widely regarded as one of the best players to never have been prearranged to an All-Star game.

After graduating from Roosevelt Junior High School and next North Shore High School in West Palm Beach, Harper played three seasons for the Fighting Illini and coach Lou Henson having his best season in 1982–1983, when he led the Fighting Illini in scoring past 15.4 points per game. Harper was named First-Team All-Big Ten and Second-Team All-American in 1983, and was Honorable Mention All-Big Ten in both 1981 and 1982. Harper averaged 4.7 assists per game for his collegiate career, and led the Big Ten in assists in the 1981–1982 season. Harper was elected to the “Illini Men’s Basketball All-Century Team” in 2004.

At 6 ft 4 in, Harper was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks following the 11th overall pick of the 1983 NBA draft. He spent his first ten seasons later than them, averaging 15 points and 6.1 assists. For around the entire period in his first stint later the team, he was allowance of the starting backcourt tandem in imitation of All-Star shooting guard Rolando Blackman. The Mavericks made the playoffs 6 out of the 10 years of Harper’s tenure behind the team, and they made it to the Western Conference Finals in the 1987–1988 season, but they were never able to replicate that endowment for any new season of Harper’s grow old in Dallas. He had fused seasons of averaging competently over 10 PPG, and became known for being both a great scorer and defender. His best season came in 1990–1991 where he averaged 19.7 PPG. But he nevertheless wasn’t prearranged to be an anything star and the Mavericks the end that year next an unpleasant 28–54 record. Harper still played skillfully for the in flames of his times in Dallas, but the team was atrocious. In the 1992–1993 season especially, the Mavericks over and the end with 11–71 which is one of the worst history of everything time. Harper spent 2 more seasons gone the Mavericks before desertion the team during the 1993–1994 season.

Harper, J.J. Redick, and DeAndre Jordan are currently the on your own players in NBA history to accrual their season scoring average for eight consecutive seasons. Harper did it next the Mavericks from 1983-84 to 1990-91.

Harper was traded to the New York Knicks (where he was reunited in the proclaim of Blackman) 28 games into the 1993–94 season. The Knicks were looking for a defensive point guard to replace the insulted Doc Rivers, who was sidelined for the ablaze of the season. The shift sent him from a team that ended 13–69 to physical an integral portion of one that came within one game of winning the 1994 NBA Championship. His stats declined as he had to adjust to having less of an individual role, but his best season in imitation of the Knicks came in his last year subsequently the team where he averaged 14.0 PPG. On July 14, 1996 he was released by the Knicks and became a free agent.