Spurs player Dylan Harper looks for Wimby for an alley-oop in his preseason debut
San Antonio Spurs rookie Dylan Harper threw an alley-oop two-handed dunk to Victor Wembanyama with 44.3 seconds left in the first half in the San Antonio Spurs’ 134-130 overtime win over the Utah Jazz on Friday night.
Spurs player Dylan Harper played 18 minutes against Jazz
Harper, who became an early NBA Rookie of the Year candidate after being selected with the second overall pick in this year’s draft, posted a game-best plus-minus of 22 points in 12.5 minutes and finished with nine points and two assists on 4-for-5 shooting.
The former Rutgers star added another point in the third quarter, but he finally left the game with 6:23 left due to time constraints.
Dylan Harper finds Wemby for the alley-oop 🤯
What. A. Passed. pic.twitter.com/bPB0zoj2nn
— NBA (@NBA) October 11, 2025
All angles 🤩 pic.twitter.com/gnmXWtWrDA
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) October 11, 2025
Dylan Harper played 18 minutes and finished with a plus-minus of 20.
The 19-year-old completed an alley-oop to Vembanyama before passing to Luke Kornet near the rim for his first two assists.
“It’s great to be on the court with him,” Wembanyama said. “He looks ready and comfortable making those passes. So, I’m very confident and I’m excited to spend some time on the court with him.”
Harper made his first basket midway through the first quarter
With 6 minutes and 12 seconds left in the first quarter, Harper broke through the defender after receiving an assist from Harrison Barnes, cut to the basket and scored 10 seconds later for a layup.
“Just getting back on the court with them, keeping that chemistry going before the season starts, it feels good to play again,” Harper said.
“My teammates do a great job of empowering me and letting me know what I’m doing wrong. But at the end of the day, they’re here to help me and I’m here to help them. Just having that confidence behind me is very helpful.”
Harper admitted after game he might have to ‘flip’ [my] Brain” to gauge how accurately to hit his 7-foot-5 new teammate on an alley-oop pass.
“I should [thrown] Higher, much higher,” Harper said. “It’s weird. No one had ever played with someone that tall. You go out. You throw it, and you think you threw it too high. But when he catches the ball, you’re like, ‘That’s a little too low.’ ‘so, [it’s] Just little things like that. Just throw it somewhere where no one else but him can reach it. “
Harper nervous ahead of NBA preseason debut
Harper said he had “first-game jitters” during shootaround, but it didn’t take long for him to adjust to playing in front of NBA fans. His exhibition game should boost the New Jersey native’s confidence.
“This is just another step for him and his young career as he continues to grow. Obviously, he made some plays and hopefully he’ll feel good about it,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said.
“But just being able to do it in front of the fans, under the bright lights, whether it’s a performance that people are talking about when he scores a goal or makes a shot or passes the ball. Just being able to break down a team’s defense and run the floor, that’s a really valuable experience.”
Harper missed the Spurs’ first two preseason games as a precaution after undergoing surgery in September to repair a partially torn collateral ligament in his left thumb.
The San Antonio Spurs will kick off the 2025-26 season against the Dallas Mavericks on October 22.
