
LeBron Jr., former Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James’s son, plays with the game ball during a time out with the New Jersey Nets in the fourth quarter of their Game 2 NBA Eastern Conference semifinals playoff basketball in Cleveland, Ohio May 8, 2007. RON KUNTZ/REUTERS/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: rtrltwo326868
‘Tis the season, so feel free to burst into Fa’s and La’s. No, not Christmas; it’s the NBA finals. And what goes together better than non-stop basketball and dads?
What about basketball dads?
Newscom has reached into its vault and pulled up all these great pictures of NBA dads, clear from 1970s legend Bill Walton and son Luke Walton to present-day LeBron James and his little guy LeBron James Jr. I don’t care if you’re a Thunder fan or an I-Cheer-For-Anyone-Except-the-Heat fan, I dare you to look at these pictures and not go “Aww.”
So take a look at these seven father/son pairs, listed in no particular order, and return with us into a land of nostalgia.
First up, we have Doc Rivers, coach of the Boston Celtics. NBA lovers already know that recently the Celtics were narrowly defeated in the NBA Eastern Conference finals by Miami Heat. However, most sports fans would agree that Doc is someone respected throughout the league. His basketball son is Austin Rivers, who played extremely well for Duke University, but after his freshman season declared for the NBA draft and is projected as a Top 10 pick on June 28th.

(LEFT)Austin Rivers puts up a free throw during the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League at the League American Gym in Houston, Texas. Kelly Kline 210/Kelly Kline/Icon SMI/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: iconphotostwo673807. (RIGHT) Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers shouts during the second quarter of the Eastern Conference Finals game three. CJ GUNTHER/EPA/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: epaphotos425552
Next comes a guy who was an explosive scorer in Europe and also played in the NBA for a period of time. Joe “Jellybean” Bryant now coaches the game for the Bangkok Cobras . His son? Ok, you saw it coming– none other than the L.A. Lakers Kobe Bryant. With five NBA championships, Bryant and the Lakers were shut out of their chance at another championship by Oklahoma City in this year’s playoffs.

(LEFT) Los Angeles Lakers player Kobe Bryant dunks the ball against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second half of game five of the Western Conference Semifinals round game. LARRY W. SMITH/EPA/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: LARRY W. SMITH/EPA/Newscom. (RIGHT) Los Angeles Sparks head coach Joe Bryant directs his team during overtime action against Washington Mystics at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.Chuck Myers/MCT/Newscom, Find it on Newscom.com: krtphotoslive504764
Perhaps slightly lesser known, Dell Curry played for the Charlotte/ New Orleans Bobcats where, as a sharpshooter, he’s one of the highest scorers in their history. His son, Stephen Curry, inherited the same sharpshooting skills and now plays for the Golden State Warriors.

(LEFT) Toronto Raptors guard Dell Curry celebrates a basket against the Detroit Pistons in first half play during Game 4 of their NBA Eastern Conference quarterfinal in Toronto April 29, 2002. PETER JONES/REUTERS/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: rtrphotos648082. (RIGHT) Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry (30) goes up against Indiana Pacers David West (21) in the first half at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California on January 20, 2012. TERRY SCHMITT/UPI/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: upiphotostwo135186
Going a little old school, we’ll now bring out the legend from the 70’s, Bill Walton. MVP, two-time champion, Hall of Famer, listed as one of the NBA’s greatest players of all time, and the record for the most games missed due to injuries (that is a sad fact), Walton played for the Portland Trailblazers and the San Diego Clippers. His son is Luke Walton, who plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers. This duo became the first father/son to win multiple NBA championships. Bill’s were in ’77 and ’86, and Luke’s in ’09 and ’10.

Los Angeles Lakers’ Luke Walton with his father and NBA Hall of Famer Bill Walton before a basketball game at the Staples Center on Tuesday, October 27, 2009 in Los Angeles . ZUMA Press/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: zumawireworldphotostwo689965.
Another Hall of Famer and also on the list of the 50 Greatest NBA players of all time would be Rick Barry. Known for his underhand free throw shooting and also his current skills as a sports broadcaster, Rick currently hosts a basketball related show on Sirius Satellite XM. Out of his four sons, three went on to play in the NBA for short lengths—Brent, Drew, and Jon, with Brent and Drew being the most successful.
We can’t forget #23. Michael Jordan has been declared the greatest player of all time, mostly due to his leaping abilities that named him Air Jordan. Five-time MVP, six-time Finals MVP, Hall of Famer, six championships, and second to Babe Ruth on the list of Athletes of the Century, Jordan spent most of his time with the Chicago Bulls. He currently owns the Charlotte Bobcats. His son Marcus plays college ball for the UCF Knights.

(LEFT) UCF guard Marcus Jordan (5) drive to the basket during second half mens NCAA Conference USA basketball game action between the UTEP Miners and the Central Florida Knights. Romeo Guzman/Cal Sport Media/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: csmphoto571021. (RIGHT) Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan 1992 – 1993 NBA Season.� Brian Drake SportsChrome/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: spchromepix053241
John Stockton’s son, David Stockton, plays for Gonzaga. It doesn’t look like David will go to the NBA, but he did practice with the Utah Jazz once. Karl Malone, another Jazz legend, also has an athletic son. But Malone Jr. likes more contact in his sport and will be playing football at LSU this upcoming season.
(LEFT)Utah Jazz guard John Stockton (R) looks to pass the ball as he drives past Cleveland Cavaliers’ guard Andre Miller (L) during the third quarter on 18 February, 2002 at Gund Arena in Cleveland. Utah defeated Cleveland 103-92. DAVID MAXWELL/AFP/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: afpphotos432335. (RIGHT) Gonzaga’s David Stockton (11) during an NCAA Basketball game between Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s during the West Coast Conference Tournament championship game at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, NV. Josh Holmberg /Icon SMI 259/Josh Holmberg /Icon SMI/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: iconphotostwo841259

Utah Jazz forward Karl Malone (R) and his son Karl Jr. (L) endure repeated media interviews, 10 February 2001, at the MCI Center in Washington, DC during the 2001 NBA All-Star game practice.HEATHER HALL/AFP/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: afpphotos317534.
Last comes LeBron James. You may hate him or love him, but you can’t deny that his son is adorable. LeBron has two kids, LeBron James Jr. and Bryce Maximus, ages 8 and 5. Engaged to his high school sweetheart, LeBron and Savannah Brinson have raised the two happy boys together.

Miami Heat’s LeBron James holds his Most Valuable Player trophy with his son LeBron James Jr. during a news conference held by the NBA and Miami Heat in Miami, Florida, May 12, 2012. This is the third MVP trophy for James and the first for a Miami Heat player. RHONA WISE/REUTERS/Newscom. Find it on Newscom.com: rtrlfive235693.
Find more pictures of these basketball dads at Newscom.com.
You may also be interested in:
Athletes in Focus: Kevin Durant
NBA Finals: Miami vs Oklahoma City
Tags: dad, doc rivers, fathers day, lebron james, nba, nba finals, son
This entry was posted on Sunday, June 17th, 2012 at 8:18 am and is filed under Sports. You can follow any comments to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.