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Every father wants nothing but for his son to be successful in whatever career the son chooses. For NBA players, there is a slight preference for NBA fathers for their sons to follow in their footsteps and play in the biggest basketball league in the world. While a few lucky fathers saw their sons play in the NBA, we have yet to see a father-and-son duo take the court together. That will change in the 2024-2025 season.
LeBron and Bronny James will make history next season when the father-and-son duo will play for the Los Angeles Lakers. While Bronny James will spend most of his rookie season playing in the NBA G-League, NBA fans will see Bronny throw an alley-oop pass to his dad and vice versa. And for some analysts, the LeBron-Bronny duo can bring more fans and in turn, more revenue.
While LeBron and Bronny will stand tall as the first father-and-son duo to play together, we have seen NBA fathers and sons play in the league separately. Below are some of those duos:
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Rick, Brent, Jon, and Drew Barry
Rick Barry, an NBA champion and the 1975 NBA Finals MVP, owns the distinction of having three sons play in the NBA.
Rick played in the league from 1965 to 1980 and suited up for six teams. He even won an ABA championship before the ABA-NBA merger. He is an eight-time All-Star with five selections to the All-NBA First Team. He also led the NBA in scoring and steals once in his decorated career.
Brent Barry won two NBA championships with the San Antonio Spurs. He also played for the Houston Rockets -- the same team his father last played for before hitting retirement.
Jon Barry played in the league from 1992 to 2006, and yes, he also finished his career with the Rockets.
Unlike his father and brothers, Drew Barry's NBA career was quiet in the sense he only played briefly for the Seattle SuperSonics, Golden State Warriors, and the Atlanta Hawks while playing for different non-NBA teams in between.
Hall of Famer Rick Barry had three sons play in the league: John, Brent and Drew. pic.twitter.com/dQmzIY9T2h
— Paul Knepper (@paulieknep) June 19, 2022
Dell, Steph, and Seth Curry
Dell Curry has two sons playing in the NBA today: Steph and Seth Curry.
Dell Curry's NBA career ran from 1986 to 2002 -- playing for five teams. He won the Sixth Man of the Year award in 1994. He also ranks second in the Charlotte Hornets' franchise scoring list with 9,839 points.
Steph, arguably one of the greatest shooters of all time, is still playing for the Golden State Warriors. Since joining the NBA, Curry has won four NBA championships, two season MVP awards, two scoring championships, and a steals title in his loaded career. He is a ten-time All-Star and earned four selections to the All-NBA First Team, He is also the all-time leader in three-pointers.
Seth went undrafted in the 2013 NBA Draft and played for the Santa Cruz Warriors in the G-League. From there, he bounced from one team to the other, in the NBA and the G-League. He is currently playing for the Charlotte Hornets.
On June 18, 2007, Dell Curry was named assistant coach of the Charlotte Bobcats, but he stepped down before the season began so that he could attend his sons' basketball games pic.twitter.com/K7nPMVA8rh
— Swish Street (@SwishStreet) January 16, 2024
Joe and Kobe Bryant
Joe and Kobe Bryant are among the most recognizable father-and-son duos who played in different eras in the NBA.
Joe Bryant played for three NBA teams: the Philidelphia 76ers, the San Diego Clippers, and the Houston Rockets. Bryant also spent almost a decade playing in Europe.
Kobe, whom many consider the greatest Laker of all time, spent 20 years with the Los Angeles Lakers. He guided the team to five NBA championships -- including a three-peat with Shaquille O'Neal from 2000 to 2002. He has two Finals MVP awards, the 2008 MVP award, and 18 All-Star selections. He also received 11 nods to the All-NBA First Team and nine to the All-Defensive First Team.
Of course, who scored the second-highest-scoring game in NBA history?
🚨BREAKING NEWS🚨
Joe Bryant, the father of Kobe Bryant and former basketball star has passed away at the age of 69.
RIP Jellybean ❤️🙏 pic.twitter.com/LWI70oHGPo
— ML Basketball (@_MLBasketball) July 16, 2024
Doc and Austin Rivers
A coach coaching against his son and also a son playing for his father who is the head coach - Doc And Austin Rivers did both.
Doc was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks in the 1983 NBA Draft and played in the NBA until 1996. Aside from the Hawks, Rivers also suited up for the Los Angeles Clippers, the New York Knicks, and the San Antonio Spurs. Doc is a one-time All-Star. He won an NBA championship as the head coach of the Boston Celtics in 2008.
Austin Rivers hasn't had a permanent home in the NBA since coming into the league in 2012. In 2015, he became the first player to be coached by his dad, Doc, who then was the coach of the Clippers. The younger Rivers last played for the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2023. He played for seven NBA teams in his career.
Doc and Austin Rivers are the only father & son duo to blow a 3-1 lead on the same team.
They did it in 2015 against the Rockets. pic.twitter.com/0Sil6jmNWH
— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) August 16, 2023
Bill and Luke Walton
Bill and Luke Walton won multiple NBA championships during their careers.
Bill Walton won two championships -- including the first championship of the Portland Trail Blazers in 1977. He is a one-time Finals MVP and a one-time season MVP. He also led the league in rebounds and blocks in 1977 and won the Sixth Man of the Year award in 1986. Sadly, he was plagued with injuries for the rest of his career.
Luke Walton spent nine of his ten NBA seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers where he won two championships. He added another NBA title to resume as an assistant coach of the Golden State Warriors in 2015.
At present, Walton is serving as the lead assistant coach of the Detroit Pistons.
Our thoughts go out to Luke and the rest of the family. RIP Bill Walton 🙏 pic.twitter.com/pTUWJxT62C
— ESPN Los Angeles (@ESPNLosAngeles) May 27, 2024
Rick and Jalen Brunson
The New York Knicks have a father-and-son duo on their team: star point guard Jalen Brunson and his father Rick Brunson, who is an assistant coach.
Rick went undrafted in the 1995 NBA Draft but enjoyed a lengthy basketball career as a player. Aside from playing for a handful of NBA teams, Brunson also played in various overseas leagues and was an import in the Philippine Basketball Association in 1998.
He had several assistant coaching gigs before coming to New York in 2022.
Jalen Brunson became the latest Knick this year to become an NBA All-Star and earn a nod to the All-NBA Second Team. He also led the Knicks back to the playoffs and many consider him as the next big thing in the franchise.
Rick and Jalen Brunson try to name as many NBA father-son duos as they can.
Who are they forgetting 🤔
(via @NBA)pic.twitter.com/u8dkC6gkVw
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 16, 2024
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