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Michael C. Wright
The NBA Shooting Stars competition returns to All-Star weekend after an 11-year hiatus, the league announced Saturday, with four teams set to compete in the Feb. 14 event.
San Antonio Spurs rookie Dylan Harper, his brother, Ron Harper Jr., of the Boston Celtics, and their father, five-time NBA champion Ron Harper, find themselves among the field in a Shooting Stars competition that includes three other teams made up of two current players and one retired NBA player.
Team-All Star is headlined by Toronto‘s Scottie Barnes, Oklahoma City‘s Chet Holmgren and Richard Hamilton, while former Duke stars Jalen Johnson (Atlanta), Kon Knueppel (Charlotte) and Corey Maggette make up Team Cameron. Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and Allan Houston form Team Knicks.
The Shooting Stars competition will feature a two-round format in which all teams participate in the first round with the top two advancing to the final rounds. Teams will be given 70 seconds to score points by hitting shots at seven locations on the court with each team member shooting in a set order at each spot.
Ron Harper said he warned Ron Jr. over the years about younger brother, Dylan, when they’d shoot hoops in the backyard at their home in New Jersey. Now, they all get an opportunity to compete together as a family. Ron Harper played 16 seasons for four teams, winning three consecutive championships with the Chicago Bulls (1996-98) and two more with the Los Angeles Lakers (2000-01).
«They used to compete all the time,» Ron Harper told ESPN. «I used to always say [to Ron Jr.], ‘You better be careful because when Dylan gets your size, he’s going to be tough. He would just say, ‘Dad, I’m going to beat him up all the time.’ I said, ‘I’m telling you, when he gets to 13 or 14 [years old], he’s going to be just as strong as you.’ And it came true.»
Dylan was the second overall pick in last year’s draft behind Cooper Flagg. Ron Jr. is a two-way player for the Celtics and has also spent time with the Raptors and Pistons since entering the league in the 2022-23 season.
The Shooting Stars competition debuted in 2004 at NBA All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles, but the league discontinued it after the 2015 All-Star Game.
The Harper brothers will also play in the 2026 Castrol Rising Stars on Friday, a day before Shooting Stars. Ron Jr. will be playing for Austin Rivers’ team in that competition, while Dylan will play alongside Spurs teammate Stephon Castle on the squad of NBA Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony.
«In my head, I thought every rookie made it [to the Rising Stars game],» Dylan Harper said. «It is obviously a blessing just to be in that position, to be one of the few rookies to make the game.»
The Harper brothers haven’t yet faced off in organized competition. But Dylan plans to guard Ron Jr., who is six years older, and the rookie said «I hope he guards me.»
«It’ll be a good little family affair,» Ron Jr. told reporters.
