30 NBA players who also had kids play in the league
NBA players who also had kids play in the league: Bill Walton/Luke Walton
Bill Walton played college basketball at UCLA, coached by the legendary John Wooden. The Bruins, led by Walton, won a record 88 consecutive games. From 1972–74, Walton won three national College Player of the Year Awards (now known as the John Wooden Player of the Year Award) in a row while leading UCLA to NCAA championships in 1972 and 1973.
The Portland Trail Blazers selected Walton with the first overall pick in the 1974 NBA draft. Three years later, he would lead the Trail Blazers to an NBA championship in 1977 and was named Finals MVP with averages of 18.5 points, 19.0 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.0 steals, and 3.7 blocks per game. The following season he won his only regular-season MVP despite missing 24 games due to a foot injury.
Injuries derailed his career, but he won a second championship and was named Sixth Man of the Year in 1986 as a member of the Boston Celtics. In 1993 he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
His son Luke was not as tall, talented, or skilled as him, but he carved out a nice 10-year NBA career with a reputation for being a hard worker and a selfless teammate. He made three Finals appearances and won two championships as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, playing alongside Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol.
In 2009 Luke and his father Bill became the third father-son tandem to win a championship as players, and the following year, they became the first pair to win multiple NBA championships. Currently, the Sacramento Kings head coach, Luke, also won a championship in 2015 as an assistant head coach for the Golden State Warriors.