{"id":699522,"date":"2026-04-05T12:39:23","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T12:39:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/699522\/"},"modified":"2026-04-05T12:39:23","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T12:39:23","slug":"celtics-ron-harper-jr-gets-emotional-reaction-after-signing-nba-contract","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/699522\/","title":{"rendered":"Celtics’ Ron Harper Jr. Gets Emotional Reaction After Signing NBA Contract"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

ATLANTA, GEORGIA – JANUARY 17: Ron Harper Jr. #13 of the Boston Celtics looks on against the Atlanta Hawks during the fourth quarter at State Farm Arena on January 17, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

The Boston Celtics<\/a> announced that Ron Harper Jr.<\/a> signed a two-year standard NBA contract with the team<\/a>. The 25-year-old has been grinding toward this moment through four two-way contracts, G-League stints, and years of earning his place in the league.<\/p>\n

The Celtics have watched Harper Jr. develop from a Summer League invite into a legitimate rotation contributor. He has appeared in 26 games for the Celtics this season, and\u00a0Jaylen Brown<\/a> publicly called him one of the best shooters on the team.<\/p>\n

When the news broke, the reaction from the people closest to Harper Jr. said everything about what the moment meant.<\/p>\n

Teammates Rally Around Harper Jr.\"Ron<\/p>\n

GettyRon Harper Jr, Boston Celtics.<\/p>\n

The responses came quickly across social media. Current and former teammates made sure Harper Jr. knew what the contract meant to them too.<\/p>\n

Baylor Scheierman<\/a> kept it simple with \u201cMy brotha<\/a>.\u201d Amari Williams<\/a> posted \u201cYessuhh<\/a>.\u201d Former teammate Josh Minott<\/a> added \u201cRonald<\/a>\u201d with a salute emoji<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The messages were short but they carried weight. His teammates have seen the work that went into this. The late nights in Maine. The uncertainty of two-way life. The patience required to keep believing. Harper is there now.<\/p>\n

Safe to say Ron Harper Jr.\u2019s teammates (old and current) are happy to see him ink a new deal:<\/p>\n

\u201cMy brotha,\u201d Baylor Scheierman said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYessuhh,\u201d Amari Williams captioned.<\/p>\n

\u201cRonald \ud83e\udee1,\u201d Josh Minott posted. <\/p>\n

Dylan Harper\u2019s Reaction Hits Different\"\"<\/p>\n

GettyDylan Harper is defended by Ron Harper<\/a> Jr. in the Rising Stars Game during 2026 NBA<\/a> All-Star Weekend.<\/p>\n

The most emotional response came from family.<\/p>\n

San Antonio Spurs<\/a> guard Dylan Harper<\/a>, Ron\u2019s younger brother, reacted to the news with raw emotion. \u201cWe dreamed about this man I could shed a tear right now,\u201d Dylan wrote<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ron replied simply. \u201cWe here now<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two brothers who grew up dreaming about the NBA, both now playing on guaranteed deals in the league. Dylan was the second pick in the draft. Ron took the longer road through two-way contracts and the G-League. The paths were different but the destination was the same. They are there now.<\/p>\n

Spurs guard Dylan Harper, who\u2019s Ron Harper Jr.\u2019s brother, reacts to Ron\u2019s new deal:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe dreamed about this man I could shed a tear right now\u201d \ud83e\udd72<\/p>\n

\u201cWe here now,\u201d Ron replied. <\/p>\n

What Harper Jr. Has Shown the Celtics<\/p>\n

Harper Jr. proved he belongs during a standout stretch in March. He erupted for 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting against the Spurs<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Before joining the Celtics full time in January, Harper Jr. dominated in the G-League with the Maine Celtics. He averaged 24.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists while shooting 37.7 percent from three<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The two-year deal gives him security for the first time in his career<\/a>. He is a Celtic.<\/p>\n

Final Word for the Celtics<\/p>\n

\u00a0Ron Harper Jr. never stopped working. Now he has what he earned. A real NBA contract with an organization that believed in him.<\/p>\n

His brother said they dreamed about this. His teammates celebrated it. The Celtics made it official.<\/p>\n

Harper Jr. is here to stay.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tKeith Watkins<\/a> Keith Watkins is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics, and Los Angeles Lakers. He previously wrote for FanSided, NBA Analysis Network, and Last Word On Sports. Keith is based in Bangkok, Thailand. More about Keith Watkins<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Celtics\n\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty ATLANTA, GEORGIA – JANUARY 17: Ron Harper Jr. #13 of the Boston Celtics looks on against the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":699523,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3766],"tags":[7,45,75,3798,46,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-699522","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-boston-celtics","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-boston","10":"tag-boston-celtics","11":"tag-bostonceltics","12":"tag-celtics","13":"tag-nba"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116352148576394302","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/699522","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=699522"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/699522\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/699523"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=699522"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=699522"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=699522"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}