Ron Harper shares the story of what a referee told him when he complained about a game’s physicality

Harp knew he had to adapt to survive in the NBA back in the day.

© Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

Plenty of NBA OGs love to talk about how physical and tough things were back in the day. It’s an endless source of pride for them that they played through all sorts of fouls, bumps, bruises, and disputes.

Ron Harper is no exception. He was a crucial part of the Chicago Bulls’ second three-peat team in the late 1990s, but he also spent several seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers during their rough-and-tumble era in the late 1980s/early 1990s. Needless to say, he knows a thing or two about playing through physicality.

Adapt to survive

Though Harper is known more for playing the role of defensive specialist and facilitator perfectly during his days with the Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers late in his career, he was a high-scoring guard during his early days in the league, as evidenced by his average of 19.3 points from 1987 to 1994.

When he entered the NBA in 1986, he quickly realized that his scoring abilities would not be enough to make him thrive in the big league; he also needed to be mentally tough.

"I remember earlier in my career, I'd play against Milwaukee, and I was going up against [two-time Defensive Player of the Year] Sidney Moncrief and [1986 Defensive Player of the Year] Alvin Robertson and Jay Humphries and Jerry Reynolds, and I'm trying to talk to the referee. I ask, 'If they're holding me, ain't that a foul?!' The referee turned to me and said, 'You just play hard. It's hand-to-hand combat.' You need to adapt to survive," Harper shared.

The importance of having vets

Having veteran teammates can make all the difference for a young player in the NBA. Harper shared that the advice of his more experienced teammates helped him adapt to the NBA game and eventually thrive as a high-flying, high-scoring guard for the Cavaliers and the Los Angeles Clippers.

"Fortunately, I had some older guys on my team – the Cleveland Cavaliers at the time – and they taught me some things, some tips. I took what they taught me, and that's how I started being able to fight back and score," Harper said.

Michael Jordan once shared his secrets to dominance: "To be the best, you gotta step on people"