As the saying goes, like father like son. Since 1949, 71 sons of former BAA, ABA, NBL, and NBA players have made it to the ranks that their fathers did before them. (The three non-NBA leagues were eventually absorbed into the NBA, so we can count those.)
Below are three noteworthy examples.
Glenn Robinson III (son of Glenn Robinson) – As a small forward from Gary, Indiana, the elder Glenn Robinson’s NBA career spanned 11 seasons, and it was an eventful one from the start. After being chosen as the No. 1 overall pick in the 1994 NBA Draft, Robinson held out for an unprecedented 10-year, $68 million contract that still stands as the richest rookie contract in league history. He would go on to play eight highly productive seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks, finishing second in franchise history in scoring behind Karem Abdul-Jabbar. Robinson made the All-Star team in the 2000 and 2001 seasons, and was eventually traded to the Atlanta Hawks. He would play for the 76ers during the 2003-2004 season, and eventually found his way to the San Antonio Spurs, where he won an NBA championship during the 2005 season as a key reserve. Robinson would retire shortly after, citing problems with his knees. He finished with career averages of 20.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game.
Glenn Robinson III was born when his father was still playing at Purdue, and was three months premature. Robinson III eventually ended up being just fine, and slowly became one of the country’s top high school players by the time he finished his career at Lake Central High School in St. John, Indiana.
He signed with the University of Michigan as a five-star recruit playing at the small forward position, just like his dad. During his freshman season with the Wolverines, Robinson III averaged 11.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists en route to being named to the Big 10 All-Freshman Team. He flourished in that year’s NCAA tournament, stringing together five of the best games of his college career to help Michigan reach the National Championship game, where they fell to Louisville 82-76.
During his sophomore season, Robinson III averaged 13.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game. He helped the Wolverines to the Elite Eight, where they lost to Kentucky.
Robinson III announced during an April 2014 joint press conference with fellow Michigan player Nik Stauskas that they would both enter the NBA draft, where he was taken as the 40th pick in the second round by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
After playing in the NBA’s summer league, he signed with Minnesota in September of 2014, and is currently listed third on the team’s depth chart at the shooting guard position. He is averaging 1.2 points in 4.1 minutes per game during his rookie season, and could see his minutes increase by the end of the year as the team opts to give some of their younger players more playing time.
Stephen Curry (son of Dell Curry) – Dell Curry, originally from Harrisonburg, Virginia, had an illustrious NBA career that last 16 seasons. After finishing his senior season at Virginia Tech, Curry was drafted by the Utah Jazz as the 15th overall pick in the 1986 NBA draft. He spent his first two seasons in Utah and Cleveland before being made available by the Cavs for the 1988-89 Expansion Draft, where he was selected by the Charlotte Hornets. Curry would spend the next 10 seasons in Charlotte, winning Sixth Man of the Year in 1994 on his way to becoming the franchise’s all-time leading scorer. He would go on to spend a few seasons with Milwaukee and Toronto before retiring in 2002. The elder Curry holds career averages of 11.2 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.8 assists.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoD6u1hRamU
Stephen Curry burst on to the college basketball scene as a member of the Davidson Wildcats, where he averaged 21.5 points per game and finished the 2006-2007 season as the second-leading freshman scorer in the country, behind only Kevin Durant. By the time Davidson had finished his junior season, Curry had led the Wildcats to Elite Eight and NIT appearances, and was averaging 28.6 points, 5.6 assists, and 2.5 steals. He also held the NCAA record for most three-pointers in a season with 158.
Curry was selected with the seventh overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors, and has obviously since gone on to do some big things, including being named to the All-Star team the past two seasons. Curry won this year’s Three-Point competition at the 2015 All-Star weekend and is currently averaging 23.6 points, 7.9 assists, and 4.7 rebounds per game on the year.
Stephen’s younger brother Seth is currently in the NBA D-League, and appeared in one game with the Cleveland Cavaliers in March of 2014.
Austin Rivers (son of Doc Rivers) – Although he’s more known for his coaching at this point, Doc Rivers enjoyed a very good basketball career, and played in the NBA as a point guard for 13 seasons. After a successful college career at Marquette, Rivers was drafted with the 31st pick in the second round of the 1983 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks. He spent the next seven seasons as a starter in Atlanta, assisting star forward Dominique Wilkins as the team experienced sustained success. He averaged a double-double for the 1986–87 season with 12.8 points and 10.0 assists per game. Rivers later spent one year as a starter for the Los Angeles Clippers and two more for the New York Knicks, before finishing his career as a bench player for the San Antonio Spurs from 1994 to 1996. He finished with career averages of 10.9 points, 5.7 assists, and 1.8 steals per game. Since retiring from playing, Rivers has seen success as a coach in the league, earning Coach of the Year honors in 2000, and winning an NBA championship in 2008. He is currently the coach of the Los Angeles Clippers.
Austin Rivers finished his high school career as the No. 1 prospect in the country, and opted to sign with the Duke Blue Devils before the start of the 2011-2012 season. Rivers had a productive season with the Blue Devils, averaging 15.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game on his way to earning ACC Rookie of the Year honors. After a disappointing first-round exit in the 2012 NCAA Tournament, Rivers declared for the NBA draft, where he was selected with the 10th overall pick by the New Orleans (Hornets) Pelicans. Rivers took on the No. 25 jersey number in honor of his dad, and finished the season with averages of 6.2 points and 1.8 rebounds per game. On Jan. 15, Rivers was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, and on the following day became the first son to play for his father in the NBA. Rivers is currently averaging 6.4 points, 1.7 assists, and 1.7 rebounds per game since joining the Clippers.
