The Los Angeles Lakers set up an interesting storyline when they selected 19-year-old Bronny James in the second round of the NBA draft on Thursday night. Next season, he could be playing on the same roster as his father, 39-year-old superstar LeBron James.
While sports history is littered with great father-son duos — baseball’s Bobby and Barry Bonds, football’s Peter and Casper Schmeichel, basketball’s Pamela, JaVale and Imani McGee — they rarely played at the same time, let alone on the same team.
But on at least some other occasions, luck has struck and made it possible.
Gordie Howe and his son, who remain forever young
Gordie Howe retired from hockey at age 43 after a distinguished career, but when his sons Mark and Marty joined the Houston Avian of the World Hockey Association three seasons later, he couldn’t resist.
“They know my biggest wish is to play professional hockey with my sons.” He said“When they asked me ‘Are you interested?’ I said ‘Of course I am.'”
His return proved to be more than a brief cameo. Amazingly, he played seven seasons with his sons before moving on to the New England Whalers, who joined the NHL as the Hartford Whalers in 1979-80. Howe Sr. was skating on major league ice at age 51.
In his final season, he played 80 games for the Whalers, scoring 15 goals before retiring. He declared In the announcement.
Howe continued to play until 1995 and, like his father, was inducted into the Hall of Fame.
The Griffith family, Griffith Jr. and Griffith Sr.
In August 1990, at the age of 40, Ken Griffey announced his retirement from baseball. He had enjoyed a distinguished career as a talented slugger, most memorably with the Cincinnati Reds in the 1970s.
But just days later, he was drafted by the Seattle Mariners, who also hired his son, 21-year-old emerging superstar Ken Griffey Jr.
In his first at-bat for his new team, Griffey Sr. hit a single, helping him win a bet with his son on who would hit first. Griffey Jr., who came in next, also hit a single, and both players scored. “I wanted to cry,” Griffey Jr. said after the game.
In September of that season, they hit back-to-back home runs against the California Angels.
The Griffey brothers played together for two seasons before Griffey Sr. retired. Griffey Jr. later entered the Hall of Fame.
Another pair of teenagers and teenagers
At the end of the 2001 season, the Montreal Expos traded 42-year-old great hitter and base stealer Tim Raines to the Baltimore Orioles, who had just recalled Raines’ son, 22-year-old Tim Jr.
Their time together was short, playing in just four games before the season ended. The next season, Raines Jr. returned to the minor leagues. Raines Sr. played one more season for the Florida Marlins.
In this case, the father clearly had a better career than the son. Raines Sr. is in the Hall of Fame. Raines Jr. played just 75 games in his career.
panhandle family
Sports historians have to dig deep into history to find a professional football player who played on the same field as his father – all the way back to 1921, to be exact.
The Columbus Panhandle of the Ohio Union was heavily influenced by the Nesser family: brothers Ted, John, Phil, Frank and Fred play all At some point in the team.
In 1920, the Panhandle team became part of the newly formed American Professional Football Association, and Ted Neiser became player-coach in 1921. The team included not only several of his brothers, but also his son, 19-year-old Charles Neiser.
The Columbus Panhandle? An AFL team? Are you thinking, “So what?”
If so, consider that the following year, the APFA changed its name to the National Football League.
The Columbus Panhandles (then known as the Columbus Tigers) played their final season in 1926, but Ted and Charles Nether remain the only NFL father and son to play for the same team at the same time.
Carrying the Icelandic Torch
In 1996, Iceland played a friendly against Estonia in Tallinn, Estonia, and striker Arno Gudjohnsen was substituted off the pitch. His replacement was a talented 17-year-old making his international debut: Arno’s son Eidur.
Both of them have been the main players of the Icelandic team for many years and have also had outstanding careers in the club. Arnault has played in Belgium, France and other places, while Eidur is famous for playing for Chelsea Football Club in England.
Eidur’s own three sons all play football, and two of them, Sveinn Aron and Andri, have played for Iceland, though not at the same time as their father.
Iceland has a population of only 380,000.
Not quite like LeBron
LeBron James is undoubtedly one of the best basketball players of all time, and some even consider him the best.
The choice of LeBron James Jr., nicknamed “Bronny,” was not surprising. “My last year will be playing with my son,” LeBron said in 2022.
But how good will Bronny be? Being selected 55th isn’t a guarantee of success or even a job; some players selected 55th don’t even make an NBA team.
Bronny played one season at USC but started just six games, averaging 4.8 points per game. Pre-draft scouting reports projected him as an NBA reserve at best.
But none of that mattered when he stepped onto the court and joined LeBron as the first father-son duo to play in the NBA.
who is the next?
Well, golf isn’t a team sport. But did you know that a 15-year-old Just qualified For the U.S. Junior Amateur? His name is Charlie. Charlie Woods.
Yes, that Woods.
