Dylan Harper’s San Antonio Spurs debut will have to wait.
The second overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft is set to miss the Spurs’ three-game stint at the California Classic of the upcoming Summer League due to a minor groin injury, according to San Antonio Express-News reporter Tom Orsborn.
Orsborn also added that Harper will still travel with the team to the Bay Area, but won’t suit up as San Antonio opts for caution with its newest franchise cornerstone.
The team is hopeful he’ll be cleared in time for their Las Vegas Summer League opener on Friday (PH time), July 11, when the Spurs face off against No. 3 pick VJ Edgecombe and the Philadelphia 76ers.
It’s a frustrating—if minor—bump in the road for the 19-year-old guard who came second after the Dallas Mavericks selected former Duke standout Cooper Flagg no. 1 overall.
[ALSO READ: As expected, Mavericks take Cooper Flagg as no. 1 pick of 2025 NBA Draft]
Harper arrives in the league not just as the highest draft pick in Rutgers history, but also as the program’s top-scoring freshman ever.
In 29 games for the Scarlet Knights, the 6-foot-6 guard averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.4 steals while shooting 48.4% from the field—despite playing through illness and an ankle sprain during the season.
[ALSO READ: Spurs bolster backcourt with selection of Fil-Am Dylan Harper as second pick in 2025 NBA Draft]
Now, he joins a San Antonio team stacked with young talent, including the last two NBA Rookies of the Year: Victor Wembanyama in 2024 and newly crowned winner Stephon Castle in 2025.
Harper also continues the rising wave of Filipino heritage in the NBA, now sharing the stage with Jordan Clarkson, Jalen Green, and rookie Jared McCain as one of the league’s active Filipino-American representatives.
[ALSO READ: Dylan Harper proud to carry Filipino heritage next to Clarkson, Green, McCain in modern NBA]
His mother, Maria Pizarro, hails from Bataan, while his father is five-time champion Ron Harper.
[ALSO READ: No. 2 pick Dylan Harper honors Filipina mom after going to Spurs in 2025 NBA Draft]
