Ron Harper comes to Michael Strahan's defense with strong message amid national anthem controversy
Long after his playing days in the NBA, Ron Harper has been known to voice his opinions on all things sports on social media. The former champion recently came to the defense of an NFL legend for what he feels was an unwarranted backlash.
In honor of Veterans Day "NFL on Fox" opted to do a special broadcast from a Naval base in San Diego, California. As the national anthem played, most of the hosts stood with their hands over their hearts. While Michael Strahan was standing, he opted to keep his hands crossed at his waist.
Following this broadcast, Strahan caught a lot of heat online for not following suit of his co-hosts.
While some have attacked the New York Giants legend, Ron Harper came to his defense. He replied to the post stating people are trying to create outrage and that he never placed his hand on his heart for the anthem.
Harper, a former top-ten pick in the 1980s, spent 15 years in the NBA. He began his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers but had stints with the LA Clippers, Chicago Bulls and LA Lakers.
Harper had a successful run as a role player, getting to play alongside some of the game's greatest talents. He won three championships with Michael Jordan and the Bulls before winning two more as a member of the Kobe Bryant/Shaquille O'Neal Lakers.
Ron Harper takes a shot at the LA Clippers on social media
This season, one of Ron Harper's former teams debuted a brand new arena. While it's a common practice for past players to get invited to games, this was not the case for the longtime guard.
As the NBA kicked off the 2024-25 campaign, Harper took to X (formerly Twitter) to take a shot at the LA Clippers. He called out the team, along with the Cavaliers and Lakers, for not inviting him to opening night. Harper did make sure to shout out the Bulls for offering him to come to their home opener.
Ron Harper spent five years with the Clippers and had some of his best statistical seasons there. During his tenure, he averaged 19.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.0 steals. Harper also had an impressive run with the Cavaliers to start his career, averaging just shy of 20 points across four seasons.
Harper made it clear he isn't holding a grudge with the Cavs, as he replied to a fan saying that he plans to get to Cleveland for a game this year.
Of all of Harper's former teams, the Cavs are off to the best start. They're currently the last unbeaten team in the NBA with a 12-0 record.