25 father-and-son NBA player duos

We start here because, well, we know where our bread is buttered. You talk about LeBron and Bronny, you get people’s attention. This is a truly remarkable circumstance, given that LeBron and Bronny are on the Los Angeles Lakers roster at the same time. Sure, Bronny only got drafted because LeBron wanted his son around. We grant you Bronny may never be NBA-caliber as a player. LeBron is the best to ever do it. He wanted to play with his son. He made it happen.

Rick Barry’s prodigious genes yielded not one, but three sons that played in the NBA. Also a fourth, Canyon, who played in college. Papa Barry definitely had the best career. He’s the Hall of Famer of the bunch. Drew barely played in the NBA, but both Brent and Jon had solid, journeyman careers.

Mychal was a dynamic big man for the Trail Blazers for many years. Then he played for the Lakers for a bit and ended up working for them in an analyst capacity. Klay’s game is different from his dads. He’s one of the best three-point shooters in history. Both Thompsons have rings, though Klay has four of them, so he outpaces his dad.

Dell and Seth are comparable players, complementary guys who shoot the ball well. Although, Dell did win Sixth Man of the Year, so his career edges past Seth’s. Of course, then there’s Steph. He’s the best shooter in NBA history. He revolutionized how basketball works. Oh, and Steph has won two MVPs and completely rewritten the three-point-shooting record books. So, you know, he took the Curry family shooting skills to a new level.

Given that the elder Jackson played into the early 2000s, it’s possible for many NBA fans to have memories of seeing both father and son on the court. Although, if you don’t remember the father of this duo all that much, it’s understandable. He averaged 16.7 minutes and 5.5 points per game in his career. The younger Jackson has a Defensive Player of the Year award to his name and has a chance to go down as an all-time shot blocker, so his career is taking a different shape.

Speaking of blocking shots, Manute Bol once averaged 5.0 blocks per game. Granted, blocking shots is about all Manute did well, and he was treated a bit too much like a novelty in his life, though he would lean into it to try and help call attention to his native Sudan (his birth city is now in South Sudan). Bol Bol is 7’3’’ and still significantly shorter than his dad, and his NBA career has been a bit spotty. Still, he’s in his mid-twenties, so we shall see where things go.

Rick Brunson’s greatest contribution to the Knicks franchise? Being an assistant coach and getting his son Jalen to sign with the team. With all due respect to Rick, he averaged 3.2 points per game in a journeyman NBA career. Jalen is coming off an All-Star Game appearance and earned himself a top-five finish in the MVP vote for the 2023-24 season. He did that for the Knicks. Thank Rick for that.

At his peak for the Washington Bullets, Harvey averaged over 18 points per game for three seasons in a row. That’s not too shabby! Jerian never averaged more than 8.4 points per contest, which he did for the Bulls. Jerami has had the best career of the three, having averaged over 20 points per game on multiple occasions. Of course, Harvey is also fun to mention, because his twin brother Horace also played in the NBA, most notably with the Jordan-era Bulls during their first three-peat. None of Horace’s sons played in the NBA. Score one for Harvey.

Jackson-Davis followed his father to Indiana, and the fact he’s even emerged as an NBA player is a bit of a surprise. He was the 57th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, so the fact he played in 68 games for the Warriors as a rookie is kind of remarkable. Jackson-Davis has his whole career ahead of him, but his father left a resume that might be tough to match. Dale played in over 1,000 NBA games and used his rebounding skills to make one All-Star Game.

With his killer crossover, the elder Hardaway ended up making it into the Hall of Fame (though he is one of the names some mention when discussing the lowering of the bar for Hall entry). Still, he did make five All-Star Games and made five All-NBA teams, though only once was he on the first team. The younger Hardaway has zero chance of making it to the Hall, but that’s not to say he hasn’t had a good career. He’s your classic modern wing player who spreads the floor shooting threes and has averaged 14.0 points per game in a career that has already lasted more than a decade.

Both Nances were dynamic dunkers, and both played for the Cavaliers at a point in their career. In fact, the Cavs “unretired” the elder Nance’s number so that his son could wear it. The fact Nance had his number retired in the first place speaks to the sort of player he was. Nance Jr. is more of a big man off the bench type. Technically, Nance’s son Pete has also played in the NBA, but he played in eight games for the Cavs and averaged 3.4 minutes per contest.

“The Glove” won Defensive Player of the Year as a guard, which is rare. He didn’t make the Hall of Fame just on his defensive prowess, though, as he averaged 16.3 points and 6.7 assists per game as well. Payton’s son shares his father’s propensity for steals, but that’s about as far as it goes. He’s never averaged more than 7.1 points per game in a season.

You know Greg Anthony from appearing on television for many years, but he’s one of those players who is only really remembered because of his TV career. The journeyman guard averaged 7.3 points and 4.0 assists per contest while playing for six franchises. Cole, who was a first-round pick, has proven to be a better player than his father. Now a backup guard for the Magic after starting early in his career, the younger Anthony has averaged double-digit points per game in every season so far.

The elder Henderson won three rings as a player, though he was not the focal point for the Celtics in the ‘80s, and he was truly a hanger-on for the Pistons in 1990. Even so, every team needs depth in the NBA, right? Henderson Jr. had a higher peak than his father, twice averaging over 15 points per contest with Charlotte. However, a hip issue that wouldn’t heal properly led to him retiring after only eight NBA seasons.

Doc has been around for years as either an NBA head coach or a color commentator on television. Just recently, he did both in the same season. If you don’t remember him as a player, though, you may not know he was an all-star once with the Hawks. Austin was hyped heading to Duke, a combination of school and name, but he never quite panned out. While the younger Rivers did play 11 years in the NBA, he averaged 8.5 points per game and didn’t really do anything but score, and clearly he didn’t score a ton.

Basketball enthusiasts know that NBA fans didn’t see the best of Arvydas Sabonis. He’s a Hall of Famer owing largely to his career in Europe, as he was born in the Soviet Union, but he did eventually get to play internationally for Lithuania after the fall of the USSR. Arvydas was still good, but he joined the NBA in his thirties and had lost a step. Domantas didn’t have to deal with Cold War stuff, and he’s proven to be a high-level player in his own right. He’s a three-time all-star, and he’s led the NBA in rebounding twice.

Bill’s larger-than-life personality made him a beloved figure in the world of basketball, but he was also a great player. Injuries significantly hampered his career, but he did win an MVP and made it into the Hall of Fame. His son Luke won two rings with the Lakers, but as a tertiary player. In one season he averaged 11.4 points per game, but in his career he scored 4.7 points per contest.

Let’s kick it old school! Also, it’s an excuse to write the name “Kiki Vandeweghe.” This is one of the earliest father-and-son duos in NBA history. Ernie began his career with the New York Knicks in 1949. Rebounds weren’t even tracked as a stat yet in his rookie season. Kiki joined the NBA in 1980. He made two All-Star Games playing for the pace-pushing Nuggets. However, he did also average 23.5 points per game in four-and-a-half seasons with the Trail Blazers as well.

We mention the van Breda Kolffs for a specific reason. Butch was an unremarkable player for the Knicks in the 1940s, retiring the same year Ernie Vandeweghe made his debut for the team. Jan wasn’t much better, beginning his career in the ABA and never averaging more than 10.2 points per game in the NBA. So why bring them up? After playing, Butch became a head coach in the NBA. The 1976-77 season was Butch’s last as an NBA head coach, and Jan’s first season as an NBA player. That year, for the first time in NBA history, a father coached a game with his son playing for the opposing team.

Scottie may have had to play in the shadow of Michael Jordan, which seems to have left him frustrated. He’s a Hall of Famer and was a great player. However, Pippen can take some satisfaction in the fact his son is a decidedly better player than MJ’s kids. Scotty made it into the NBA, and he even carved a role out for himself with the Memphis Grizzlies. Just beginning his career, the younger Pippen could end up being a good player.

Wesley Matthews is in the top 25 for career three-pointers made. No, really. That’s the modern NBA for you. The elder Matthews attempted 0.3 threes per game in his career, so he was not making it rain from beyond the arc. When you play for six teams over nine seasons, it does speak to being something akin to replacement level as a player. Of course, he also played in nine NBA seasons and won two rings, and most people will never do either of those things.

Al Horford won two titles in college, though he will likely still end up a Hall of Very Good player, even with his five All-Star Game appearances. Plus, he has an NBA ring now thanks to the Celtics. Now, Tito did only play in 63 NBA games, and he only averaged 1.5 points per contest. We mention this duo, though, because Tito was around quite a bit during Al’s title run with the Celtics and is a beloved figure. Why would we not give some love to Tito?

Not every father-son relationship is a good one. Sometimes it isn’t even really a relationship. The Detroit Pistons made Walker the first-overall pick in 1967. While a Piston, he made two All-Star Games. Also during his tenure as a Piston, Walker impregnated Jalen Rose’s mother Jeanne. Jalen was a member of the Fab Five at Michigan, and he averaged 14.3 points per game in a long NBA career. He would learn who his father was, but Walker was never in his life. They didn’t even begin talking to one another for decades, but they did have plans to meet. Then, unfortunately, Walker died of lung cancer at the age of 63. The two never met.

In three seasons of his career, Winston averaged double-digit points and over five rebounds per game. He was runner-up for Rookie of the Year as well. Winston was a good player, but Darius is better. He’s made an All-Star Game and averaged over 20 points per contest twice in his career to date.

From a Laker in LeBron to one of the definitive Lakers in Kobe. The younger Bryant needs no introduction. Then again, neither does his father at this point. It helps that people called Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, because that sticks in one’s brain. Jellybean notably played in Europe, that’s how Kobe met Mike D’Antoni back in the day, but he did also play in the NBA. It was a decent-enough NBA career, as he played eight seasons and averaged double-digit points three times.