It's no secret that families in sport tend to play for the same team or the same umbrella company. On another matter, it's possible for family members to play with each other. It can be fun and exciting to be playing with them in a professional arena. It happens more often than is believed.
The 2024 NBA draft recently took place and the LA Lakers picked Bronny James in the 55th pick. This could potentially lead to a father-son duo of LeBron James and Bronny James playing together. LeBron said in 2022 about potentially playing with his son, "My last year will be played with my son. Wherever Bronny is at, that’s where I’ll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for one year. It’s not about the money at that point." However, as of this writing, LeBron is potentially entering free agency this summer – he has to decide to take up his player option for over $51 million or opt out of his current Lakers contract.
Some basketball fans are familiar with Joe Bryant from a somewhat successful NBA career in the 1970's and early 1980's, when he averaged 8.7 points and 4.0 rebounds in his eight seasons.
However, many more know him as the father of a certain superstar by the name of Kobe Bean Bryant, who has put himself into the conversation as a top-10 player in league history thanks to five NBA titles and a current standing as the NBA's fourth all-time leading scorer.
They may not be the most famous family in hoops history, but they are pretty well known thanks to the Black Mamba's greatness.
In football and more specifically, Italy, the name of Maldini is very popular. Enjoying a successful soccer career in Italy between 1952-67, Cesare Maldini made 451 appearances for three different Italian clubs—most notably, AC Milan, for 12 of his 15 seasons—the defender won four league titles and one Euro Cup.
But Cesare's son, Paolo, may have even outdone his dad with his career.
That's because Paolo captained the Italian national team. He spent all 24 professional seasons with AC Milan and is widely considered to be one of the best defenders ever, winning seven Serie A titles; five Euro Cup/Champions League trophies and a second- and third-place finish in the World Cup with Italy.
The two were a part of the 2002 Italian World Cup team, with dad coaching son as the Azzurri reached the Round of 16 before being eliminated by South Korea.
Current Dane goalkeeper, Kasper Schmeichel is following in the footsteps of his father, Peter Schmeichel.
Every sports fan knows about Floyd Mayweather Jr.. He's the only one who has all of the boxing talent in his family. That's because his dad, Floyd Mayweather Sr., was also a pretty well known fighter, carrying a career record of 28-6 during the '70's and '80's.
In addition to his dad, Floyd Jr.'s uncles, Roger and Jeff Mayweather, were former boxers who fought professionally in a number of different weight classes, with Roger eventually becoming Money's trainer.
Arguably the most famous family in all of auto racing, the Earnhardts, have proven over the past 60 years that they have a full grip on how to successfully drive a race car.
Starting with Ralph Earnhardt back in the 1950's, the skill was passed on to Dale Earnhardt—who was, and still is, one of the most beloved racers of all time—Dale Earnhardt Jr. and others, with fans taking notice of the popularity and success of each.
Playing alongside his dad, Ken Griffey Sr., Ken Griffey Jr. got the chance to have quite the mentor to look up to for two of his first three seasons in the bigs. It looked like it worked, too, as the younger Griffey bolted 630 career homers, won the 1997 AL MVP and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016.
The McMahon family has grown into a billion-dollar corporation in wrestling. As the first family of wrestling, Vince McMahon has turned the WWE into one of the most successful sports and entertainment businesses on the planet and has gotten his entire family involved in running it.
With his wife Linda's former political career and kids having a major hand in it all, this family only seems to be expanding its empire.
With 25 career singles Grand Slam titles and another 13 doubles Grand Slam titles as partners, Venus and Serena Williams have put themselves in the conversation as the best tennis duo ever. Without question the two most famous and successful siblings on the tennis court, the Williams sisters have shown to be the toughest matchup for nearly any opponent who goes up against them.
The Manning family would probably sit atop of any list of the most well known sports families.
While brothers Peyton and Eli Manning weregreat at tossing passes in the NFL, their dad, Archie Manning, enjoyed a 13-year NFL career that included two Pro Bowl trips. Although Archie didn't sniff the same success as his pro football sons, he showed them the ways of a pro quarterback, no doubt leaving a major impact.
Cricket seems to be the most popular when it comes to family involvement. Alan Butcher appeared in one Test for England, while his son, Mark, did better in the opening spots or at No. 3. Mark’s peak came in 2001 against Australia at Headingley, when he hit 173 to lead England to a victory in the fourth Ashes Test.
Two siblings who have had an impact for the West Indies are Dwayne and Darren Bravo, who were talented in different ways. Darren was a very talented No. 3 batsmen, while Dwayne was an aggressive all-rounder capable of big shots and miserable bowling spells.
A trio of Akmals, Umar, Kamran and Adnan, have all gained recognition for Pakistan. Umar has perhaps performed the best of all, although they have all had their struggles with form and consistency.
Colin Cowdrey, with his son, Chris, have played for and captained England, like his father. In addition, while not a blood tie, former England batsman, Peter May, was also Chris’ godfather.
Two batting South Africans, Peter and Gary Kirsten, were hardworking and occupied slots in the top order, with Peter key as the Proteas reintegrated in international cricket and Gary was part of a dominant side in the 2000's.
The Graces were the first great cricketing family, of which there were three as the sport gained popularity in England. W.G. was the most famous and although E.M. and G.F. were strong players in the own right, they were overshadowed by their dominant brother.
Michael and David Hussey both had slightly differing careers but they have both become famous across the world. Michael was a superb batsman for Australia in all forms and while David never quite secured his place in the team, he played brilliantly across the world in limited-overs games.
Chris Broad is an ICC match referee, while his recently retired son, Stuart, opened the bowling for England. Chris was also an opening batsman for England, too and one who enjoyed occupying the crease for long periods.
Two of the best batsmen in Zimbabwean cricket came from the same family, as Andy and Grant Flower led their side in their early years of Test cricket. Both would have fit right into any team and their departures for various reasons left quite a gap in the country’s national team that can arguably never be filled.
A multinational family follows George Headley and Ron Headley who both played for the West Indies, while Dean turned out for England. George was often described by his contemporaries as the "Black Bradman" as he played some heroic knocks for his country.
A trio of Marshes, as Geoff Marsh’s sons, Shaun and Mitchell, were both in the reckoning for regular places in the Australia team. Mitchell recently captained the country in the T20 World Cup. Geoff also played for Australia and has had a good coaching career since retirement too.
Of the three Chappell brothers to play international cricket, Ian and Greg both captained Australia and enjoyed great success. Trevor didn't quite hit the heights of his siblings, although he gained notoriety for bowling the ball underarm against New Zealand in 1981.
The Waugh twins will go down in history as some of the best brothers to play cricket, having both represented Australia with distinction. Steve captained the team in their period of domination, while Mark was a silky batsman who made everything look easy.
The top of the cricketing list comes the Pollock family of South Africa, who have seen Graeme, Peter and Shaun all gain success and do so in their own right. Graeme was a brilliant left-handed batsman, his brother Peter was an effective seamer and Shaun was an opening bowler who also captained the Proteas.
It's clearly been seen that playing sports is highly genetic. It seems to be more dominant than recessive. I can only guess that Gregor Mendel would be bursting out with joy and happiness with this 'revelation.' When it comes to sport, there's a high chance that at least one family member will follow in their senior's footsteps. All sports can and are family affairs.