Second overall pick overshadowed as mum steals the show at NBA Draft

A young basketball star was soaking up his moment in the limelight, but the NBA world’s attention quickly shifted to his mum.

Dylan Harper’s mum, Maria, stole the show on Thursday (AEST).

After the former Rutgers star was selected by the San Antonio Spurs with the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, social media was set ablaze as Maria Harper stunned and charmed fans who saw her join Dylan and his older brother, Ron Jr., alongside ESPN’s Monica McNutt for the post-selection interview, the NY Post reports.

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Something that may have also surprised viewers was the fact that Harper’s mum joined him for the interview, while his five-time NBA champion father, Ron Harper, stayed in the crowd.

But the newest Spur said that his mother actually pushed him harder in basketball and that she even coached him from first grade to his senior year of high school, which was special for both of them.

Maria Harper (second from the left) stole the show on Thursday.

“We’re playing the sport we love. They’re playing it, I’m coaching it. It’s a family affair, and that’s how pure it is in our family,” Maria told Jersey Sports Zone in April 2023.

Maria, who is Filipino, immigrated to the United States at the age of 7 and grew up in Paterson, N.J.

She and Ron met in 1998 and welcomed Ron Jr. in 2000. The two were then married in 2005, and Dylan was born one year later.

Maria and Ron later divorced in 2012.

Maria had nothing but praise for her son in his special moment on Thursday.

Dylan Harper celebrates with family after being drafted second overall by the San Antonio Spurs during the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft. Sarah Stier/Getty Images/AFP

“His flat out love for the game, his determination, his humility and just his hard work day in and day out,” she noted as reasons he was able to make it this far.

Family was a consistent theme for Harper while he addressed the media before the draft, and he consistently came back to praising his mum.

“My mom always tells me, ‘Keep the main thing the main thing,’” Harper said. “Basically like, ‘Go worry about basketball, we can take care of the rest.’ That’s really stuck with me just because it allows me to work on my craft and work on the things that really matter – which is playing the game I love every day.”

It’s not the first time a draft pick’s mum has stolen the show with Aussie Dyson Daniels being overshadowed in 2022 by his mother Brikkita.

This article originally appeared on the NY Post and was reproduced with permission.

Originally published as Second overall pick overshadowed as mum steals the show at NBA Draft