Like Father, Not Like Son
Many children follow in their fathers’ footsteps, looking to uphold a family tradition of excellence. Perhaps the most well-known father-son duo in sports is the Griffeys, who not only played on the same major league team, but also famously hit back-to-back home runs. The NBA’s had its fair share of familiar surnames, and will soon see a new wave of former players’ sons once Stephen Curry, Ralph Sampson III, and Shawn Kemp Jr. (pretty good odds on at least one), among others, reach the next level. We’ll tackle the best father-son combos another time, but for now, let’s take a look at the least successful offspring of former NBA stars.
1. Patrick Ewing Jr.: While his father is one of the greatest centers in league history, junior is yet to play a minute in the regular season. After being drafted by the Kings in 2008, he was a throw-in to the Ron Artest trade with Houston and was then shipped to New York for the rights to Frederic Weis, who’s reportedly still spitting out Vince Carter’s pubes. Ewing averaged 3.7 points and 1.7 rebounds in three preseason games and was cut in favor of Anthony Roberson and Jerome James. He was recently waived by his D-league team after spraining his MCL.
2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Jr.: Best as I can tell, the 32-year-old son of the NBA’s all-time scoring leader is no longer playing basketball, solely based on this informative section on Abdul-Jabbar Sr.’s Wiki page. The only other evidence of junior’s professional career is his Delta Jammers profile, which along with a terrific scouting report, gives him an ever-slight edge over Ewing Jr. by virtue of his two NBA Summer Pro League Championships. His father must be so proud.
3. Drew Barry: Rick Barry is one of the league’s 50 greatest players, a five time All-NBA team member, and an eight-time All-Star. Drew? Not so much. But he gets credit for appearing in 60 games with the Hawks, Sonics, and Warriors, averaging 2.2 points and 1.9 assists, which can’t be said for his brother Scooter. It’s a shame that he never emerged into a star, robbing the back-page sports editors of “Drew Barry-More!” headlines. And since I can’t find a picture of Barry in the pros, that’s what you’ll get.
4. Danny Schayes: His father Dolph, a 12-time All-Star and eight-time All-NBA Teamer, held the league scoring record at the time of his retirement (19,249). While Danny put up modest averages of 7.7 points and five rebounds per game in 18 seasons, the only thing I remember is getting him confused with Andrew DeClercq. Although it should be noted that both Schayes were inducted it into the ultra-exclusive Hall of Fame of Jewish Athletes.
5. Luke Walton: Yet another Hall of Fame father, Bill Walton won an MVP Award and two championships despite a multitude of injuries. Luke Walton had a career season in 2007/08, putting up 11.4 points and five rebounds per game, but has steadily regressed over the following two years, averaging just five points in 65 games last season. He’s often praised for his “basketball IQ,” which is the equivalent of saying he has a nice personality, and holds the distinction of being the worst professional athlete to ever have his own stalker.
6. Danny Ferry: Bob Ferry played 10 seasons in the NBA, averaging 16.2 points and 9.4 rebounds per game, and won a title as the general manager of the Washington Bullets in 1978. Danny is one of the biggest busts in NBA history, who spurned the Clippers after being drafted and went on to average 7.0 points and 2.8 rebounds in 13 seasons. After riding the bench on the 2003 champion Spurs, he was hired as the GM of the Cavaliers, where he promptly signed Larry Hughes to a five-year, $70 million contract.
7. Sean May: Scott played seven seasons in the NBA, averaging 10.4 points and 4.1 rebounds per game, and won a gold medal in the 1976 Summer Olympics. Sean has nearly matched his father’s production with career averages of 8.5 points and five rebounds, but has played in 82 out of a possible 246 games because of injuries and “conditioning issues.” Let’s put it this way: there’s a huge problem when the first suggested Google search result for your name isn’t your NBA profile, but that you’re fat. I’m serious — go ahead and check.
8. Jon Barry: Forget his father Rick, Jon couldn’t even measure up to his younger brother Brent, whose 2005 championship with the Spurs made the Barrys only the second father-son duo to win NBA titles. Jon had an unspectacular career as an NBA journeyman, averaging 5.7 points over 14 NBA seasons with eight teams, after refusing to report to the Celtics over a contractual dispute (seriously).
9. Damien Wilkens: Though he’s shown flashes of solid play, Damien’s career has been marred by inconsistency. After registering a career-best 9.3 points per game in 2007/08, he shot only 36% from the field on his way to just 5.3 points in 41 appearances this year (maybe it was that kidnap attempt). It must get pretty uncomfortable at family dinners when your father is Gerald Wilkins, who averaged 13 points per game in 13 seasons, and your uncle is legendary Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins.
10. Coby Karl: Although it’s very hard to imagine now, George Karl was once a 185-pound point guard on the Spurs, and put up 6.5 points and three assists per game in six pro seasons. Coby averaged just 1.8 points in 17 games with the Lakers in 2007/08 and was cut prior to the start of last season. Here’s hoping that Coby, who’s overcome two thyroid cancer surgeries, makes it back to the NBA in time for his father’s next playoff collapse.
Dishonorable Mention:
*Dajuan Wagner: Milt Wagner lasted two seasons in the NBA, averaging 4.1 points in 53 games and winning a title with the 1988 Lakers. Dajuan’s once promising career was derailed by a serious illness and he’s appeared in just 12 games since being out with a colon.
*Matt Guokas, Jr.: Matt Jr. put up 5.8 points per game in 10 seasons, while his father averaged 1.7 points in one year in the the Basketball Association of America (later absorbed into the NBA). The Guokases were technically the first father-son duo to win (undeserved) NBA championships.
