Spurs giving controversial jersey number to Dylan Harper

The San Antonio Spurs are ready to spark debate once again.

San Antonio is giving the No. 2 jersey to rookie guard Dylan Harper, according to a report this week by NBA writer Etienne Catalan (who specializes in jersey number news). Harper just went with the No. 2 overall pick to the Spurs in this year’s draft and is now getting a jersey number to match that fact.

Interestingly enough, the No. 2 jersey has not been worn by any San Antonio player since Kawhi Leonard back in 2018. As such, debate immediately began online over the Spurs’ decision to give the number to Harper.

Leonard, who is still in the NBA with the L.A. Clippers, was a homegrown Spur who helped lead the team to the 2014 championship as the Finals MVP. He was also a two-time All-Star, a two-time All-NBA selection, and a two-time Defensive Player of the Year while with San Antonio.

But Leonard’s divorce from the Spurs was an ugly one. Leonard fell out with San Antonio due to a disagreement over a 2018 quad injury he suffered, and he eventually demanded a trade (which the Spurs gave to him by shipping him to the Toronto Raptors later that year). These days, Leonard is still booed whenever he returns to San Antonio as a visitor (which once led to ex-Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich stopping a game to lecture the home crowd over the booing).

The Spurs have kept Leonard’s jersey number in unofficial retirement up to this point, though current San Antonio guard De’Aaron Fox almost picked up the No. 2 jersey upon his arrival before having a change of heart. As for Harper, he did wear No. 2 in college at Rutgers, and now it looks like he will be the one to break the unofficial retirement of The Klaw’s old number with the Spurs.