Bronny, LeBron James made history as the NBA’s first father-son duo, but they’re not alone in sports history

Bronny and LeBron James are ready to make history after this The Los Angeles Lakers selected LeBron James’ eldest son, Bronny, Thursday with the 55th pick in the 2024 NBA draft. This will be the first time that the father-son duo will play on the same team in the NBA.

The James family’s accomplishment is not the first example of fathers and sons uniting in professional sports. There have been four father-son duos on the same NFL, MLB and NHL teams dating back to the 1920s.

Ted and Charlie Neser (NFL’s Columbus Panhandles, 1921)

To date, Ted Nesser and his son, Charlie, are the only father-son duo in the NFL to have played on the same team. They played together for the Columbus Panhandles against the Akron World Champions on September 25, 1921. The Nesser family has a long history with the Panhandles, as six brothers – John, Paul, Phil, Ted, Frank and Al – all played for the team at various points in the early 20th century. Ted, 38, was a 5-foot-10 center, while Charlie was a 19-year-old 6-2 tailback. The duo’s only appearances also came in their final season of professional football. The Panhandles would remain in the NFL for one more year before disbanding and then being rebranded as the Columbus Tigers, which lasted from 1922 to 1926.

Gordie, Mark and Marty Howe (NHL’s Hartford Whalers 1979–1980)

Gordie Howe enjoyed playing with his two sons for the NHL’s Hartford Whalers, but it wasn’t the first time the three shared the ice together. Mark and Marty Howe played together on the Toronto Marlboros of the Ontario Hockey League in the 1972–73 season, with Mark leading the team to the Memorial Cup championship with 104 points – 38 goals and 66 assists. Gordy made it a family affair when he decided to retire and join his boys on the World Hockey Association’s Houston Aeros for the 1973 campaign. According to the Hockey Hall of Fame, “Mark scored his first professional goal exactly 27 years after his father scored his first NHL goal with the Detroit Red Wings.”

All three joined the Hartford Whalers of the NHL for the 1979–80 season. In his final season, Gordy scored 15 goals and 26 assists for 41 points. Mark would spend three more seasons with Hartford before moving to the Philadelphia Flyers and Detroit Red Wings, while Marty spent the remaining five seasons of his professional hockey career with the Whalers.

Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. (MLB’s Seattle Mariners, 1990–1991)

The elder Griffey was already a three-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion when he signed with the Mariners in 1990. That same year, his son, Ken Griffey Jr., was also playing in Seattle, entering his second season. Major and was the MVP of the All-Star Game in his first All-Star appearance and also played with his father. That season, Ken Griffey Jr. drove in 91 runs and 22 homers while having a batting average of .300 and an OPS of .847. His father – even at age 40 – still had something left in the tank, batting .377, driving in 13 runs and drilling three homers in his 17th season. The pair is also remembered for becoming the first father-son duo to hit back-to-back homers, doing so on September 14, 1990 against the California Angels.

Tim Raines Sr. and Tim Raines Jr. (MLB’s Baltimore Orioles, 2001)

Ultimately, the Raines family made their mark on MLB by teaming up with the Baltimore Orioles for part of the 2001 season. Hall-of-Famer Tim Raines was in his final season when he was traded from the Montreal Expos to the Orioles on October 3, allowing him to join Tim Raines Jr., who was drafted there in the sixth round of 1998. it was done. MLB June Amateur Draft. The two first shared the field on October 4, 2001, when Tim Raines Sr. played left field while his son played center. They had previously encountered each other a few months earlier on a rehab assignment in the Triple-A International League, with Raines playing for the Ottawa Lynx and Raines Jr. playing for the Rochester Red Wings.

Father and son both taken in NBA draft

LeBron and Bronny aren’t the only father and son involved in the league. The two are joining a long list of predecessors that includes Greg and Cole Anthony, Mychal and Klay Thompson, Bill and Luke Walton, and Dell, Steph and Seth Curry.

Here are the names of fathers and sons who were selected in the NBA Draft: