Hoops Habit
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30 NBA players who also had kids play in the league

By Larry Hammonds

CHARLOTTE, NC - FEBRUARY 16: (L-R) Allie LaForce interviews Seth Curry and Stephen CUrry during the 2019 State Farm All-Star Saturday Night at Spectrum Center on February 16, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC - FEBRUARY 16: (L-R) Allie LaForce interviews Seth Curry and Stephen CUrry during the 2019 State Farm All-Star Saturday Night at Spectrum Center on February 16, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images) /
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Patrick Ewing
Patrick Ewing (Vince Bucci/AFP via Getty Images) /

NBA players who also had kids play in the league: Patrick Ewing/Patrick Ewing Jr.

Patrick Ewing is arguably the greatest New York Knick in franchise history despite never winning an NBA championship. The first overall pick of the 1985 NBA Draft, Ewing’s career got off to a fine start, averaging 20 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.1 steals, and 2.1 blocks per game en route to winning the Rookie of the Year.

Ewing was a gifted, strong, powerful athletic center who dominated down low but also played with finesse and had a soft touch around the rim. From the 1985-86 season through the 1998-99 season, Ewing averaged 23.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, one steal, and 2.7 blocks per game. During that span, Ewing made 11 All-Star appearances, seven All-NBA teams, and was named to an All-Defensive team three times.

He made two trips to the NBA Finals as a member of the Knicks but lost both times. For virtually his entire tenure in New York, Knicks fans believed as long as they had Ewing, they had a chance at winning the title, even with Michael Jordan in the same conference. In the aftermath of his career, Ewing was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame twice; for his individual playing career and also as a member of the 1992 Olympic team. He’s currently the head coach of his alma mater, the Georgetown Hoyas.

His son, Patrick Ewing Jr., tried to follow in his footsteps, but that didn’t work out too well. The younger Ewing was drafted in the second round of the 2008 NBA Draft but spent most of his career in the then-called “D-League” (now dubbed the G-League). He made his NBA debut in the 2010-11 season for the New Orleans Hornets, playing a total of 19 minutes across seven games. He averaged 15 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game in four seasons in the D-League before giving up on his NBA dream and taking his game overseas.