Former Richmond basketball standout Justin Harper has signed with the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets.
Harper joins the Nets after spending the 2014-15 season with S.S. Felice Scandone in Italy’s Serie A. He was second on his team with 12.4 points per game, shooting 51.9 percent from the floor. Originally selected with the 32nd pick (second round) of the 2011 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Harper was dealt to the Orlando Magic on draft night.
He appeared in 14 games with the Magic during his rookie season, averaging 1.4 points and 0.9 rebounds in 6.0 minutes per game. He also saw action in one postseason game. Following his rookie season, Harper competed for the D-League’s Idaho Stampede (2012-13) and Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli Premier League (2013-14) before landing in Italy. Most recently, Harper was a member of the Phoenix Suns’ entry in the 2015 Las Vegas Summer League.
A native of Richmond, Va., Harper was an All-Atlantic 10 first team selection in his senior season, guiding the Spiders to the NCAA Tournament in 2009-10 and the Sweet 16 in 2010-11. He ranks 12th all-time at Richmond with 1,457 career points and is seventh all-time with 382 career threes.