I have to admit, I never realized how many second-generation players have passed through NBA locker rooms through the years. I remember recently watching a Los Angeles Lakers game, and when Wesley Matthews Jr. checked into the game and the announcers started talking about how his father played for the Lakers in the 1980s. I never knew his father played in the NBA, let alone won a championship.
That statement from the commentator got the wheels turning as I began to think about all the players I knew of that their father played in the league as well. This led me down a rabbit hole as I researched how many father-son tandems have played in the NBA. I tell you all this because that’s what led me to write this article.
With over 80 different second-generation players, it was difficult to narrow the list down but without further ado, let’s explore 30 of the most prominent father-son duos to ever play in the league.
NBA players who also had kids play in the league: Walter Szczerbiak/Wally Szczerbiak
Walter Szczerbiak had a less than stellar career in the United States. He was selected in the fourth round of the 1971 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns but elected to play for the Pittsburgh Condors in the ABA. Overseas he had an illustrious career. While playing for Real Madrid, Szczerbiak became a three-time EuroLeague champion and won the FIBA Intercontinental Cup three times. He was also named the MVP of the FIBA Intercontinental Cup in 1977.
His son, Wally Szczerbiak, was a star in college playing for Miami (Ohio) and went on to have a relatively successful career. Selected with the sixth overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft, he averaged 11.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game and was named to the 1999-2000 All-Rookie first-team. He had his best statistical output during the 2001-2002 season when he averaged 18.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game on .508/.455/.831 shooting splits. That same season he was named an All-Star reserve.
Multiple knee and ankle injuries that required surgery limited his mobility and dampened his productivity shortly after. A career 40.1 percent 3-point shooter, Szczerbiak converted at least 40 percent of his 3-point attempts in seven of the ten seasons he played in the NBA.
He is currently an analyst at MSG Network covering the New York Knicks and serves as a backup color commentator for Walt Frazier.