Dallas Mavericks Retire Derek Harper's Jersey

#1      

WhiteRhino

WhiteRhino
WhiteRhino
I thought this was really cool:

http://www.fightingillini.com/news/...tire-jersey-of-illini-great-derek-harper.aspx

I looked up what other Illini players have had their NBA numbers retired and this is what I found.

Jerry Colangelo as an owner and general manager with the Phoenix Suns:
http://www.nba.com/suns/history/00826007.html

Johnny Kerr has a statue at the United Center, but I couldn't find any official record that he has a jersey in the rafters for his time as a Bulls player, coach and announcer:
http://www.nba.com/bulls/photogallery/kerr_090210.html

Nick Anderson's jersey isn't retired by the Magic, but there is a chance that could happen:

https://orlandomagicdaily.com/2014/01/16/nick-anderson-deserves-number-25-retired/
 
#6      

mulepie

M
Sicklerville, NJ
mulepie
Congratulations to my freshman year dorm floormate too! When I walked into 238 Forbes Hall for the first time, this big tall guy who was sitting on one of the beds said "Hi, I'm Derek" I asked him "Are you my new roommate?" (I was a transfer from temporary housing), and he said "No, just visiting." I asked him what his major was (Is this still the first question freshmen tend to ask each other?), and he said "I'm here to play basketball." He was a very nice guy, and the reason I became an Illini sports fan.
 
#7      

PlayAZ

P
PlayAZ
One of my all time favorites, used to try to do his move the step/drive dribble, back step jumper from behind the free throw area.

Congrats on a well deserved honor.
 
#12      

South Farms

S
near Ogden & Rt 83
South Farms
I was an Assembly Hall usher my soph-jr-sr years, which was from fall 1980 until spring 1983. I got paid about $14 per game (3.40 an hr or thereabouts) and we had to get there about 1.5 -2 hrs before tipoff and stay about 1/2 hour after it was over. Basketball games were the easiest to work as just about everyone had season tickets and after the first two games in November , everyone knew where they sat.

By my Jr year I had enough clout to always get selected to work the A level ring and I was more often than not positioned right by the press row and behind Neale Stoners family box there (which was the south end of press row).

I got to see Harper a lot. I distinctly recall a game my Sr year when we beat Michigan in OT on a 40 ft jumper by him. the place went crazy. That was a fun time. We were good, not great, but you knew Lou would always give IU a tough game and started to win about half the time against them.

We knew then it was the start of a nice period for us. We had finally cracked the Chicago and State for the top recruits, after having lost those guys to DePaul and IU in the 1970's. Harper was a pure shooting point guard. One of the best we've had. Deron might have been better, but it was a different era .