Former Richmond men’s basketball standout Justin Harper will be playing for the Detroit Pistons Summer League team, starting on Saturday, July 4.
Harper and the Pistons will be competing in the Southwest Airlines Orlando Pro Summer League at the Orlando Magic practice court in the Amway Center from July 4-10. The 25-game, seven-day event will feature two teams from the Orlando Magic, along with the Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder.
This is Harper’s second-consecutive stint with the Pistons summer league team. Last summer, he played in four games, averaging 12.8 points in 22.0 minutes per contest. Harper shot 60.6 percent from the field and grabbed 4.5 rebounds per game.
Drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round of the 2011 NBA Draft, Harper was traded to the Orlando Magic before signing with SIG Strasbourg and playing in France during the 2011 NBA Lockout. He came back to play in 14 games for the Magic in 2011-12, totaling 20 points and 12 rebounds.
He has played in the NBA D-League for the Idaho Stampede and competed in Israel for Hapoel Tel-Aviv.
This past season, Harper signed on with Sidigas Avellino of the Italian Serie A professional league. He was second on his team with 12.4 points per game, shooting 51.9 percent from the floor. He also added 4.9 rebounds per game.
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.