Father son duos in sports: LeBron and Bronny James, the Griffey’s, the Howe’s

In one of the worst kept secrets in NBA Draft history the Los Angeles Lakers selected Bronny James with the 55th pick in Day 2 of the draft. The selection means that Bronny, and his dad LeBron will play on the same team making them the first father son duo to play on the same team in NBA history.

Another record for the James family

LeBron has set almost every record in the NBA, and next season he and Bronny will stand alone on another list as they become the first ever parent/child tandem in the history of the league. It takes an amazing amount of longevity to accomplish the feat, but LeBron, who came into the league as a teenager, is still one of the top players in the game. It just so happens that his oldest child can hoop too.

This has never been done in the history of the NBA, but we have seen this in other sports. It’s rare that a father hangs on for long enough to see their child grow old enough, mature enough and good enough to join them in the league, but it has happened in baseball, hockey and football if you can believe it.

The Nessers, Columbus Panhandles, 1921

For the first father/son duo, we have to go back over a century ago. The first and only duo to play in the NFL played for the Columbus Panhandlers back in 1921. A football family famous in the region, the Nesser’s fielded nearly half of a roster in the early parts of the 20th century. Six of the Nesser brothers played for the Panhandlers, John, Paul, Phil, Ted, Frank and Al at one point or another, but Ted was the only one who got the chance to play with his son. In 1921 the 38 year-old center Ted and 19 year-old running back Charlie played on the same team against Akron.

The Howes, NHL Hartford Whalers 1979-80

This is one of the most relatable instances to the LeBron-Bronny situation as we have seen in sports. Gordie Howe was widely recognized as one of the best hockey players to ever grace the ice. His professional career lasted from 1946 to 1980, a staggering 34 years, which gave him enough time to play with not one but two of his sons. Mark and Marty were hockey players in their own right, and first played together in Ontario’s Hockey League playing for the Toronto Marlboros in the 1972-73 season. They would go on to win the championship while Mark led the team with 38 goals and 66 assists. Their dad, Gordie would come out of retirement for the 1973 season as the three played together on the Houston Aeros of the World Hockey Association. Six years later, the trio played signed for the NHL’s Hartford Whalers. That would be Gordie’s last season playing professional hockey, and at 52 years old, the two brothers were first hand witnesses to their dad scoring 15 goals and dishing 26 assists before hanging up his skates.

The Griffeys, Seattle Mariners, 1990-91

Ken Griffey Jr. was already in Seattle when his dad, a two time World series champ and multiple time All-Star joined the Mariners. Griffey Sr. was at the end of his career and had signed with the Mariners for the chance to play with his son, who was in just his second year in the majors. They had played together in the All-Star Game the year before but their first official game together was in 1990. Both Griffey’s batted over .300 while Jr. cranked 22 homers and scored 91 runs. At 40, Griffey Sr. scored 13 runs his three dingers. One of those was the first of a father son back-to-back homer’s against the California Angels.

The Raines, Baltimore Oriels 2001-2002

Our final father son tandem comes out of the MLB again. Tim Raines Sr. was a Hall of Famer who played most of his more than 20 year career in Montreal with the Expos. During his second go-round with the Expos in 2001 he was traded to the Baltimore Oriels where his son, Tim, was playing. They debuted together on the same diamond just a day after the trade on October 4th of 2001. Dad played in right field and Jr. played in center. They would play the rest of that season together before Sr. would ship off to Florida for his final season in the Majors.