Ron Harper Jr. represents Maine Celtics at Rising Stars

LOS ANGELES, Cali. - Ron Harper Jr. dished out two assists and grabbed seven rebounds as he represented the Maine Celtics in a big way at the Castrol Rising Stars event during NBA All-Star Weekend on Friday night.

Castrol Rising Stars once again featured a mini-tournament with four teams and three games. Harper Jr. was part of a team comprised of NBA G League Stars led by head coach Austin Rivers. The other three teams were comprised of first and second-year NBA stars, with teams playing to a target score of 40 in each game on Friday night.

"That has to be dope. He plays against his brother during NBA All-Star Weekend how surreal is that?" Rivers said during the broadcast.

The first Rising Stars matchup pit Team Austin vs. Team Melo against each other. But for the Harper family, it was Team Ron vs. Team Dylan as the two brothers had a chance to go head-to-head for the first time as NBA players. Ron's brother, Dylan Harper, is a rookie guard for the San Antonio Spurs.

"Bro, c'mon," Ron Harper was heard saying during the broadcast while battling his brother. Harper Jr. is the second Maine Celtics player to be selected to compete in Castrol Rising Stars. Last season, JD Davison also participated in the annual showcase of premier young NBA talent.

Ron helped Team Rivers get on the board first. The Celtics Two-Way player drove through the lane and threw a lob to Yanic Niederhauser for the first points of the night. Ron continued to show his playmaking abilities on the big stage. Trailing by three, the ball was poked away from Dylan Harper in the backcourt. Ron gathered the loose ball and found Alijah Martin for the corner three to tie the game at 21.

Team Rivers held a four-point advantage late, but team Melo went on an 8-0 scoring run to claim a 36-32 lead over team Rivers and inch closer to the target score of 40. During crunch time, Dylan would get the best of his big brother on Friday night. With a 38-34 lead, Dylan went 1-on-1 against Ron like the two brothers were back competing out on the driveway. Dylan knocked down the step back jumper and deliver Team Melo the 40-34 win.

"He (Dylan) told me, he was going to get them up and he didn't lie," Ron laughed afterwards.

Ron Harper Jr.'s All-Star weekend isn't done yet. On Saturday night, Ron and Dylan will go from opponents to teammates when they compete alongside their father, Ron Harper Sr. in the Shooting Stars event. The teams reflect NBA All-Star connections, school and team affiliations, and family ties.

"It's just fun. Being out here in LA for a weekend is fun," Ron said postgame. "I promised my team tomorrow I'll hit more shots than I did tonight."

Shooting Stars will kick off All-Star Saturday night at 5 p.m. at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. Fans can stream the event on Peacock or watch the broadcast on NBC.