At some point in each of the last five games of the NBA Finals, Golden State deployed a lineup that featured four players whose fathers played in the NBA. While eventual NBA Finals MVP Stephen Curry boasts a well-documented basketball lineage through his father, Dell, it’s a trait Curry shares with Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Gary Payton II from the Warriors’ championship roster.
Each of the four are second-generation pros and examples of a trend that will be on full display at the NBA‘s next big event after the Warriors’ championship parade on Monday. When NBA commissioner Adam Silver takes the stage at Barclays Center in New York on Thursday to announce the first pick of the 2022 NBA Draft, it’s a near guarantee that he’ll be calling the name of a player with a family with a high-level basketball history.
While there are no guarantees in basketball scouting – even prospects with great familial legacies suffer injuries or meet other struggles – pedigree has emerged in recent years as a key component in the evaluation of basketball talent.
It’s no coincidence that six of the top seven players on the CBS Sports NBA Draft Big Board have a parent who played in the NBA, WNBA or at the major college level.
- Paolo Banchero (mother played in the WNBA; father played Division I college football)
- Chet Holmgren (father played Division I basketball)
- Jabari Smith (father played in the NBA)
- Jaden Ivey (mother played in the WNBA; father played in the NFL)
- Keegan Murray (father played Division I basketball)
- AJ Griffin (father played in the NBA)
Prospects with an NBA mindset
“It doesn’t just mean they’re coming in with a more polished skill set or advanced athletic gifts – they’re also coming in with a deeper understanding of what it takes to succeed in the NBA and the type of mindset it takes to achieve that success,” said David Mincberg, the former director of scouting for the Memphis Grizzlies who most recently worked as an assistant general manager for the Detroit Pistons.
On seven occasions in the last 35 years, teams have used a top-five draft selection on a player whose father was also drafted into the NBA. Four of those seven players went on to become All-Stars. Of the four (Andrew Wiggins, Danny Manning, Al Horford and Kevin Love) three are still active players. Two of the other three (Mike Bibby and Mike Dunleavy Jr.)…
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