Hapoel Jerusalem owner Matan Adelson announced on Wednesday that star guard Jared Harper has signed a three-year contract extension, keeping him with the club through the end of the 2028/29 season. Harper already had a guaranteed deal for next season worth a little more than $1 million, but Jerusalem significantly upgraded it so he will earn about $5 million over the full period.
The club moved early to keep him despite repeated reports in Europe that Harper would prefer to join a EuroLeague team after the season, with Greek clubs seen as leading candidates. Jerusalem insisted he was not leaving and said it intends to build next season’s team around him. The improved offer was submitted before the season ended, and after the team’s exit in the semifinal playoffs, the sides negotiated until the extension was finalized.
Harper, 28, who stands 1.79 meters tall and played college basketball at Auburn, spent the early years of his professional career between the NBA and the G League, appearing in 16 NBA games for Phoenix, New Orleans and New York. He then moved to Europe in summer 2022 and spent two seasons with Valencia, including 53 EuroLeague games, before joining Hapoel Jerusalem in summer 2024.
In two seasons with the Israeli club, Harper became the undisputed leader of the team and won the Israeli league MVP and EuroCup MVP awards twice, but he still could not deliver the trophies the club wanted. Jerusalem was eliminated in the EuroCup quarterfinals and lost in the State Cup final and semifinal. In the 2024/25 season, his EuroCup numbers were 22.8 points and 5.7 assists per game, and he will next play alongside Jalen Smith under new coach Sasha Obradovic, who replaced Yotam Alon.
