For those who work in the NBA, what is the most special day of the year?
Opening night is energetic, no doubt. Christmas Day is beloved by fans and the television networks, but it’s a workday for those involved. Game 7 of the NBA Finals is a very big one, but it’s rare and doesn’t affect all that many.
The answer, for most, is Father’s Day.
The father-and-son dynamic within the league is nearly ubiquitous, touching almost every team and plenty of facets within franchises. Working in the NBA is high-profile, often lucrative and occasionally very fun. And, apparently, quite contagious as so many sons want to follow their dads into the business.
The just-completed Finals were one of the greatest examples on record, as the father-son NBA connections run deep on both the newly crowned champion Golden State Warriors and the runner-up Boston Celtics.
There were six players in the series whose fathers played in the NBA. From the Warriors: Steph Curry, son of Dell; Klay Thompson, son of Mychal; Gary Payton II, son of Gary; Andrew Wiggins, son of Mitchell. On the Celtics: Al Horford, son of Tito; and Luke Kornet, son of Frank.
“I feel very grateful to have my dad with me at the games, just around,” said Al Horford, whose dad played three seasons in the NBA. “Just somebody that has played the game before, obviously. Not on this stage, but has played the game. He understands basketball.”
Seeing the former players around the floor, sometimes talking trash about their sons, has been commonplace during the series.
“[My family] have been to almost every game in the playoffs, but it’s been amazing to be able to share this experience with them,” said Wiggins, whose dad played in the league for six years and was beaming with pride on the floor in the moments after the Warriors clinched the title in Game 6 on Friday night.
“We talk about the games, and he just helps me.”
The players’ fathers are where it starts; just begin with the Golden State franchise. Warriors coach Steve Kerr’s son Nick is an assistant coach on their G League team, the Santa Cruz Warriors. Owner Joe Lacob has two sons, Kurt and Kent, who work in the team’s front office. Vice president Mike Dunleavy Jr.’s father was a player, coach and executive. Assistant general manager Larry Harris is the son of longtime NBA coach Del Harris. The team’s director of pro scouting, Jonnie West, is the son of NBA great Jerry West.
On the Celtics, assistant general manager Austin Ainge is the son of former team president and player Danny Ainge.
There are nearly 30 current NBA players who are the sons of former NBA players. There are more who have fathers who played professionally overseas and whose uncles or cousins have been in the game, too.
There are five current league head coaches — J.B. Bickerstaff (Cleveland Cavaliers), Stephen Silas (Houston Rockets), Wes Unseld Jr. (Washington Wizards), Michael Malone (Denver Nuggets) and Erik Spoelstra (Miami Heat) — whose fathers played, coached or worked in the league before them. Assistant coaches and scouts throughout the NBA have legacy last names.
Like the Lacobs, owners bringing their sons and daughters into the family business is common. Currently there are six team governors who took over for their fathers. Other owners have children working in business and basketball operations. Recently Anjali Ranadive, daughter of Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadive, was named assistant general manager of the G League’s Stockton Kings.
The next generations are showing up at work as well. During the 2022 NBA playoffs especially, some current players who are fathers bring their young children around the game. During the Celtics’ playoff run, Jayson Tatum’s son, Deuce, has been a frequent presence. He was born in 2017, the same year Tatum was drafted No. 3 overall by Boston, and Tatum sees having Deuce alongside him at the high-stakes games as part of his legacy.
“I’m around him every day. Being able to go through this journey together, because I was 19 when I got drafted, it’s kind of like we’re growing up together,” said Tatum, whose dad, Justin, played in college at Saint Louis University. “As he’s gotten older, I’m going through my career, sharing these moments, experiencing this together as we grow up.”
Just as the NBA’s previous generation prepared their sons for life in the league, this generation’s stars are exposing their children to high-level pro basketball at a young age. Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has made it a stated goal to have his son Bronny join the NBA, which could happen as early as the 2024-25 season if Bronny goes the one-and-done route. The two could become the first father-son duo to play on the same floor.
After the Warriors’ Game 6 victory, Draymond Green brought his three children onto the stage so they could celebrate with him. When he was younger and wasn’t yet a father when the Warriors won the 2015 title, he wanted to rush to the team celebration and often would grow impatient with all the photos being taken of him. This time, on a late Friday night in an opponent’s arena surrounded by green, he lingered for nearly an hour posing with family members.
“You just understand that you don’t have these opportunities often. And when you do, you have to enjoy them, embrace them and share them with the people you love,” Green said. “Just to share these moments with my family, with my children, in particular — they are 7, 5 and 1. You want the pictures. You hope that when they are 15 that they remember this.”
