Michael Jordan and Ron Harper were once playoff opponents, but they eventually became teammates on the Chicago Bulls. They ended up winning 3 NBA championships together, and it’s clear that teaming up with Jordan ended up working out for Harper.
Teammates often play one-on-one against each other, and the same was true for Michael Jordan and Ron Harper. Most fans would expect Michael Jordan to win every contest between the two, as he was the superior player.
However, when Ron Harper was asked about him playing one-on-one against Michael Jordan in 2019, he jokingly said “Mike, you know I gave you the business”, signifying that he did beat Michael Jordan in their matchups at times. (2:50)
Reporter: Did you ever beat Michael Jordan one-on-one?
Ron Harper: Oh yeah. Mike, you know I gave you the business. You know me. Me and Mike played a lot of basketball. He was the greatest player to not only to play against him but to be his teammate too.
Ron Harper was once a great scorer in his own right, and he averaged 19.3 PPG from 1987 to 1994. It makes sense that he’d develop some isolation scoring skills of his own when he was relied upon to score by his teams, which is why he would beat Michael Jordan in one-on-one matchups.
Even though he was more of an offensive player earlier in his career, on the Chicago Bulls Ron Harper was primarily relied upon to be an elite defender. The switch from superstar to role player helped Ron Harper thrive in the Chicago Bulls’ system and there’s no doubt that he was a fine complementary player during the 2nd part of the Chicago Bulls dynasty. While he doesn’t necessarily have a lot of individual accolades, Ron Harper will always be an NBA champion.
