Dylan Harper: An NBA star in the making

Filipino American Dylan Harper is enroute to becoming an NBA star.

It may be too early to say, but if Dylan Harper continues to play the way he played in his rookie season in the NBA, he just might be a superstar in the making.

Reaching the NBA Finals in as  San Antonio Spurs rookie sensation Harper captured the hearts of Asian America and the global Filipino diaspora while cementing himself as the league's next marquee attraction.

The last NBA player of Asian heritage to make as big an impact in the National Basketball League was Yao Ming, who played for the Houston Rockets, 2002-2011.

This postseason was more than just a battle for a ring. It was a cultural milestone where Harper proudly showcased his colors, drawing immense pride from his mother Maria’s roots in Bataan, Philippines, and earning rave reviews from around the sports world.

While the Spurs ultimately fell to the New York Knicks in the Finals, Harper’s play repeatedly drew praise from broadcasters.

"He plays with a maturity that completely defies his age. To step into the brightest lights of the NBA Finals at 20-years old and dominate the offensive flow like a veteran?" said one of the television broadcasters. "We are witnessing the birth of a generational guard."

Analysts like Jay Williams highlighted Harper's high-efficiency scoring on ESPN, noting his strong performances where he frequently shot over 50% from the field and took over as a primary creator.

In the last game of the series, Harper was the Spurs leading scorer with 25 points off the bench. Most of his baskets, 10 out of 19 attempts, occurred in the paint where the 6'5" Filipino American bumped, pushed and bruised his way through multiple Knicks defenders.

Carrying the culture forward

The historic "Filipino Friendly Fire" matchup against Filipino American Jordan Clarkson of the Knicks became the focal point of the series for Filipino and Asian fans worldwide. 

Reflecting on the heavy media spotlight, Harper shared, "It's a blessing to represent the Philippines, where I'm from. I think me and (the Knicks')Jordan Clarkson are doing a great job doing that."

RELATED: Jordan Clarkson makes history in Knicks victory

 While Harper has expressed immense pride in his Filipino heritage, he has not yet committed to playing for the Gilas Pilipinas national squad in FIBA or Olympic competition, though he has not ruled out the possibility, famously saying, "Who knows what the world brings... I would never say no." 

Harper’s basketball lineage runs deep, heavily shaped by his father, five-time NBA champion Ron Harper, who instilled in him an elite, old-school work ethic and the mental toughness required to survive the bright lights of professional sports.

A mom's love & coaching

Harper 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.

Dylan Harper with his mother, Maria Harper.

Maria Harper coached her son through his youth and credits her native Pinoy culture for instilling the relentless work ethic that powered his rise to the NBA. 

A former Division I hooper herself, Maria has a legendary coaching resumé that spans high school boys' and girls' varsity programs across New Jersey, including prominent roles at DePaul Catholic and Don Bosco Prep.

Her rigorous coaching philosophy is directly responsible for the rookie's signature physical trait: his elite ability to navigate the paint and finish at the rim.

When training Dylan in his youth, Maria strictly banned him from shooting jump shots. He was forced to drive into traffic, absorb contact, and learn how to maneuver his body. Dylan recalls, "She gets the credit for why I get downhill so much. When I was younger, it was like, 'You're going to get downhill, you're going to get a bucket—no jump shots.'"

With an NBA All-Rookie First Team nod under his belt and a historic game-high of 25 points in Game 5, the horizon is blindingly bright for this FilAm icon.

Despite rumors of minor frustration regarding his on-ball usage throughout the year, Harper remains entirely focused on piloting the Silver and Black back to the championship stage. 

Reflecting on his future role with the youthful Spurs, the 20-year-old shared: "Whole lot to grow on, whole lot to learn... Obviously we lost, and I wanted to win that, but gotta believe we'll bounce back."

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SAG Awards: A great night for Darren Criss and Sandra Oh

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Darren Criss accepts The Actor statuette at the SAG awards.

By winning the Screen Actors Guild statuette Sunday (Jan. 27), Darren Criss completed a  sweep of this year's major acting awards.

Criss won the Best Actor in A Limited Series offered by SAG, the union of his acting peers, Sunday (Jan. 27).

"I find it appropriate that this statuette is sort of choosing between which masks to use, and the character that I played, Andrew Cunanan, unfortunately, used masks to destroy things,” the Filipino American actor said in his acceptance speech. “So as an actor, my goal is to hopefully create something positive, to use masks to create a positive change." 

With the statue of The Actor in his possession, Criss becomes the first Filipino American to win any of the acting honors that includes the 2018 Emmy, Golden Globe, and Critics’ Choice Award for his groundbreaking performance as serial killer Andrew Cunanan in American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace. Best known for his light-hearted ole in Glee, Criss took full advantage of playing against type to portray the dark, deranged psychopath who killed five people before taking his own life.

"So for all of the friends and families that are still affected by the destruction that he wrought, I hope that they know our goal was not to make a spectacle of their tragedy, but to create a positive dialogue about social issues and bring to justice things that were in the shadows.”

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Sandra Oh thanks the actors who gave her words of eencouragement.

Sandra Oh was awarded The Actor for her role in Killing Eve in the Best Actress in A Drama Series, repeating the honors she received at the Golden Globes and Critics Choice. This was her fourth SAG win and sixth nomination.

She made a point in thanking three African American actors for their words of encouragement during her career.

“I want to thank Alfre Woodard,” Oh said in her acceptance speech. “In 1997 -she’s never going to remember this, she whispers in my ear – I’m so proud of you up there. We fight the same fight.’ Jamie Foxx in 2006 pulled me aside and said, ‘Keep going.’ And in 2017, Lena Waithe, she just embraced me and said, ‘You already won. It’s in the work’ So thank you to my fellow actors. Thank you so much.”

Backstage, Oh was asked to opine on diversity in Hollywood. “Are we there yet? Of course not. But it’s always good to have something to aspire to and move towards, for us to see ourselves is a deeply human need and I’m here to do my best to fulfill that.”

The actors of Crazy Rich Asians was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, a prize that went to Black Panther, another film that like CRA disproved Hollywood's belief that films with nonwhite themes and casts could not be successful.

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Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh, Ken Jeong and Constance Wu introduced a clip from 'Crazy Rich Asians.'

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