The route to the NBA is a thorny one. It needs years of grind and unparalleled commitment. Millions of aspirants compete for a few places. Some 60-odd players are selected in the draft year; however, just being picked in the league is no guarantee of being in the regular rotation or even staying in the league. In such cases, many guards migrate to Europe.

One such player traces his journey back to his college days.

Auburn has produced many NBA players including Charles Barkley

As a college program, Auburn has been right there. While Charles Barkley remains at the top in terms of NBA achievement, numerous other players have made their mark. The biggest splash the program made was through Jabari Smith Jr., who was picked number three in last year’s draft. 

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Recently, Jazz’s impressive Center Walker Kessler made waves with an unprecedented production. Apart from that, Kings’ Davion Mitchell, Magic’s Chuma Okeke, and Cavs’ Isaac Okoro are all regular rotation players. Hornets’ JT Thor is still finding his way. The common theme among the players is high-quality defense, and it seems like the program prioritizes that a lot. 

Just a year ago, one other Auburn star was part of the league; Jared Harper. The five-foot-eleven inches guard played there from 2016 to 2019 and credits the program for his success. Sitting with former Mavericks Guard Theo Pinson on his YT channel, Tidal League, he related his experience with Auburn.

He said, “knew this was the school for me” as soon as he got to the campus. The Guard also says that “being in Auburn just allowed me to focus on my game”. He credits coach Bruce Pearl for playing undersized guards, which helped him get to the level he wanted.

Harper said since “there is nothing to do in Auburn”, he was in the gym “every day, multiple hours”.

The Guard owes a lot to Auburn.

Jared Harper is far away from his home now

Harper recalls being “unranked my whole entire life”. But then he credits his 36-point performance at Peach Jam in terms of “national recognition as a player”. This played a role in him “going to Auburn”. To this, Pinson says, “Probably helped you get a little confidence”. 

Thanks to his Auburn days, Harper got multiple deals in the NBA. As an undersized guard, he had the honor of featuring in 16 NBA games for the Pelicans, Knicks, and Suns. While these games may not look like much, landing just a single NBA deal is in itself a huge accomplishment. He left the NBA scene after not getting an offer in 2022. 

Currently, he is playing for Valencia, which is both a part of Spain’s Liga ACB and EuroLeague. He is averaging around nine points a game. While Auburn was just half an hour away from his home, now his thousands of miles apart.

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