Family Matters
For years, basketball fans have always been impressed by, and provided hype about the sons of former NBA ballers (i.e. LeBron James Jr.). Some continue the legacy their dads left (i.e. Jalen Rose), and some greaten it (i.e. Stephen Curry). In this article I will rank the top 5 father-son duos in NBA history starting with #5.
#5 Joe Bryant and Kobe Bryant
Joe “Jellybean” Bryant or as I like to call him, “Jobe” wasn’t a terrible player in the NBA, but he wasn’t good either. Joe played 8 seasons in the NBA scoring a mere 5,254 points, and not doing anything else. But his son, Kobe, was one of the best players to ever live, 5 championships, 1 MVP, 2 Finals MVP’s, 3rd on the all time scoring list, and more. This tandem would have likely slipped into the top 3 if it hadn’t been for Jobe’s shortcomings.
#4 Mychal Thompson and Klay Thompson
Mychal, a former #1 overall draft pick (1978), had a very respectable career, there was nothing special about it, but it was respectable. Mychal played 12 seasons, and was a solid scorer, finishing his career with 12,810 points, and winning with the Lakers as his career progressed. We all know about Klay Thompson, 2x All-Star, All NBA 3rd Team (2015, 2016), and 2016 Three Point Contest champion. Klay already has one ring, but with the KD addition to the Dubs, he should have many more rings and awards as the years go by, moving this tandem higher up my list.
#3 Rick Barry and Brent Barry
Rick Barry was a superstar in his day. Winning the Warriors their first championship in The Bay back in the 1974-75 season. But Brent Barry was quite the player in his own right. He had a 14-year career, and won some rings with the Spurs, playing a big role off the bench for those championship teams.
#2 Jimmy Walker and Jalen Rose
The only tandem besides my #1 choice, that has both scored 10,000 or more points in their careers. Walker was a guard during the 1960’s and 70’s who played mostly for Detroit and Kansas City. He was a respectable scorer, posting a career total of 11,665 points. His son, Jalen Rose, was one of the stars of the Michigan “Fab Five”, Rose played most of his games for Indiana and Toronto and posted a good career-scoring total of 13,220 points.
#1 Dell Curry and Stephen Curry
This is almost too easy of a choice so I won’t need to explain much. Dell was a 6th Man of the Year, and is the All-Time Leading Scorer for the Charlotte Hornets (now Pelicans). Steph doesn’t need much explanation, Back to Back MVP’s 3X All-Star 4X All-NBA Team, 2015 Three Point Contest Champion, NBA Championship, and many more awards to come.
