NBA players who also had kids play in the league: Jim Paxson Sr./John Paxson
Jim Paxson Sr. was selected with the third overall pick in the 1956 NBA Draft by the Minneapolis Lakers. He played two mediocre seasons with the Lakers and the Cincinnati Royals before retiring and taking over his father-in-law’s insurance business.
Two of his three sons played in the NBA. His eldest son Jim Paxson Jr. was the most successful of the bunch. He was a two-time All-Star for the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1983 and ’84 seasons, and he was also named to the All-NBA second team in 1984. In 2003, while serving as the general manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers, he drafted LeBron James. He currently serves as the Director of Pro Personnel for the Chicago Bulls.
John Paxson didn’t achieve the same individual success as his older brother, but he has something that no other Paxson can claim. John won four NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls, three as a player and one as an assistant coach.
John Paxson is best known for knocking down the game-winning 3-point shot with 3.9 seconds remaining in game six of the 1993 NBA Finals against the Phoenix Suns. The Bulls currently employ him as a senior advisor of basketball operations.