Olivia Harlan Dekker:
• Born 8 April 1993 in Kansas, USA
• Daughter of TV sports broadcaster Kevin Harlan and granddaughter of Bob Harlan
• Graduated from the University of Georgia in 2014 with a degree in digital and broadcast journalism
• Married to former NBA player Sam Dekker in 2018
• Works as a sideline reporter for ESPN/SEC Network and provided coverage on SEC and ACC football for Raycom and Fox Sports South
Contents
Olivia Harlan Dekker Short Bio
Olivia Harlan Dekker was born on 8 April 1993, in Kansas, USA, meaning that she’s 26 years old and her zodiac sign is Aries. Harlan is best known as a sideline reporter for ESPN/SEC Network, as well as the wife of basketballer Sam Dekker. She modeled briefly, and was active in pageants in 2010, winning the Miss Kansas Teen title.
American by nationality, she is the daughter of TV sports broadcaster Kevin Harlan, and granddaughter of Bob Harlan, who worked as an executive for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL), thus her interest in sports comes as no surprise.
Harlan was born into a family of five and has three siblings, and is very close to her sister Anne, who was the only one to see her in her wedding dress before her wedding. Olivia attended the University of Georgia, graduating in 2014 with a degree in digital and broadcast journalism.
Relationship Status
Olivia is the wife of Sam Dekker, a former National Basketball Association (NBA) player, and for the University of Wisconsin, Madison. The couple met while working in Atlanta, as Olivia stated, Sam asked her friend for her number.
Hesitant at first, Olivia took a while to respond to her now-husband’s messages, but once she did, things started moving fast and they became engaged only eight months into their relationship. Both of them are dedicated and passionate about charity, and asked their guests to donate money to Children’s Center Family Foundation, where she is on the board of directors, instead of buying wedding gifts for them, ultimately raising $65,000 – originally the couple hoped they would raise around $15,000, but to their surprise, the number was considerably higher.
Miss you already (Paris. And Sam). My almost month long road trip continues! Off to Purdue! pic.twitter.com/uIFEDehz7q
— Olivia Harlan Dekker (@OliviaDekker) January 1, 2020
In 2018, the Dekkers were named People of the Year by Sheboygan Press.
Harlan is followed by over 60,000 people on Instagram – she shares photos from both her private life as well as those related to her professional endeavors. On 24 November, she shared a throwback photo of her and her husband, taken on her wedding day. “I love your support of each other!”, one person wrote. Many people are nervous when it comes to their wedding day, but not Olivia and her husband. As a matter of fact, commenting on that topic, she said that she didn’t have a reason to be stressed as it was the happiest day of her life.
“We’re so ready. I would just do anything to snap my fingers and have it be the Thursday of the wedding week”, Harlan-Dekker revealed.
Career
Olivia’s earliest work included being a sideline reporter for the Green Bay Packers pre-season games on Packers TV Network. In addition, she served as ACC All-Access host and sideline reporter for Atlanta Hawks NBA games. As of 2015, she joined ESPN and provided coverage on SEC and ACC football for Raycom and Fox Sports South. In 2018, she served as play-by-play announcer for Westwood One and in the following year commentated on the World Team Tennis for CBS Sports.
Father Kevin
In 2018, Olivia collaborated with her father Kevin – who is a play-by-play announcer. She went on to say that her father is the greatest coach, and added that she learned so much just by watching and listening to him. “His perpetual drive to improve at his craft, the thorough preparation for every game, and the class and professionalism that he’s known for are the gold standard”. On the other hand, her dad said that it’s every parent’s dream to work side by side with their child.
Their collaboration was even more special – the particular game was held at Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers, where Harlan-Dekker used to play as a child, as her grandfather ran the team for more than two decades. The audience had a positive opinion about Olivia and her dad working together, noticing that they have good dynamics.
Husband Sam Dekker Wiki
Samuel Thomas Dekker was born on 6 May 1994, under the Taurus sign, and is best known as a professional basketball player, now with Lokomotiv Kuban of EuroCup and VTB United League.
He was a student of the Sheboygan Lutheran High School, located in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and then played for the Wisconsin Badgers at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Having graduated from college, he was selected by the Houston Rockets in the 2015 NBA Draft – he had a high rank and was 18th overall pick for that year. In July 2015 Sam signed a contract with the team, but missed the playing season as the result of a back injury, being ruled out as a result of surgery he underwent.
In early 2016, Dekker signed a deal with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers while on a rehab assignment. In December 2016, he had a career-high 19 points in a victory against the Sacramento Kings, but went on to outdo himself early on in the following year.
Latter Career
In June 2017, he transferred to the Los Angeles Clippers alongside Patrick Beverly and Darrun Hilliard. In August 2018, he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and later on, to the Washington Wizards, part of the five-player three-team deal. In August 2019, Sam signed a contract with PBC Lokomotiv Cuban, a Russian club and a participant of the EuroCup and the VTB United League.
