HOOPSWORLD | Basketball News & NBA Rumors

Talent runs in families.  There’s simply no question about that.  Often in high schools and colleges across the country, we see siblings excelling together at music, theater, academics, and of course sports, but only a small handful of those talented siblings will see multiple offspring from the same family make a name for themselves.  It’s not necessarily a rarity for that to happen, but it’s certainly not something that’s altogether common.

In the NBA, there have been about 50 examples of brothers playing in the league, and when you consider that there are over 400 players in the NBA at a time, that’s a pretty small sample.  Today’s top five looks at the best of those sibling pairings, many of whom you’ve likely forgotten all about.  Here are the most talented brothers the league has ever seen:

#5 – Tom and Dick Van Arsdale – The Van Arsdale twins dominated at Indiana University back in the ’60s, and in their first professional season in 1966 both were named to the All-Rookie team.  Dick was a three-time All-Star and one of the best free-throw shooters in the league, while Tom, who played for six different teams, still holds the NBA record for most regular season games without a playoff appearance.

#4 – Jon, Brent, and Drew Barry – Jon was a solid role player throughout his career (and is now a solid analyst for ABC and ESPN), but Brent started almost everywhere he played and even won two NBA championships with the Spurs in 2005 and 2007.  Adding an extra layer to this is brother Drew, who saw spotty action in the NBA for Golden State, Seattle and Atlanta.  The fourth brother, Scooter, also played basketball but was the only one not to make the NBA.  All are the sons of Hall of Famer Rick Barry.

#3 – Dominique and Gerald Wilkins – Dominique’s NBA resume is well-documented— nine All-Star selections, seven All-NBA team selections, a scoring title, and of course two dunk contest wins—but younger brother Gerald played 14 full seasons in the NBA.  In what is a rarity on this list, these two brothers actually were able to play on the same team—the Orlando Magic—in 1999, putting an exclamation point on two very respectable careers.

#2 – Horace and Harvey Grant – With three championships alongside Michael Jordan and four All-Defensive team honors, Horace clearly had a more memorable career than his twin brother.  But both were solid rebounders, and Harvey even had three seasons where he averaged over 18 points per game.

#1 – Pau and Marc Gasol – Pau is a two-time champion and four-time NBA All-Star with the L.A. Lakers, and probably the best current power forward in the game.  He won Rookie of the Year in 2002 and before coming to the NBA was one of the best players in the history of Spain.  Younger brother Marc has come into his own as a member of the Memphis Grizzlies, as well, though his lack of championships and All-Star appearance still have him chasing his big brother’s accomplishments.

Honorable Mention

Brook and Robin Lopez – Both top-15 picks in the 2008 draft, the Lopez twins have seen varying degrees of success in their young careers.  So far, Brook has been the better NBA prospect, making a strong push for Rookie of the Year his first season in the league and since showing quite a bit of scoring prowess in the paint.  Robin has faced some frustrating injuries but also has been respectable.  It’s hard to imagine these two seven-footers on the floor together at Stanford once upon a time, but it definitely happened.

{AUTHOR_BOX}Jason and Jarron Collins – Stanford just has this thing for attracting talented twin big guys to play for their program, but long before there was Robin and Brook Lopez, there was Jason and Jarron Collins.  Neither player has really had a difficult time finding work over the course of their careers, but neither has ever been anything close to All-Star quality, either.

Stephen and Joey Graham – Coming out of college (both Grahams attended Oklahoma State), Joey was considered the better pro prospect, and consequently he was drafted in the first round (15th overall).  Stephen, however, went undrafted, but both players have enjoyed pretty consistent careers in the league.  Turns out there really wasn’t a whole lot of difference between these twins’ level of play, after all.

Mark and Brent Price – Both Mark and Brent made their money in the league by dead-eye shooting from deep, but Mark was the four-time All-Star (including one All-NBA first team selection), and was able to turn his sharpshooting into two 3-point contest victories in 1993 and 1994.  

Bernard and Albert King – If you do an internet search for "Albert King," you’re probably going to get more about the famous blues musician than you are the younger brother of former NBA scoring champion Bernard King, but Al wasn’t as bad a player as his relative obscurity may suggest.  He even had one season in which he averaged 17 ppg.  That’s nothing compared to Bernard’s impressive career scoring numbers, All-Star appearances, and All-NBA team inclusions.  Still, as NBA siblings go, a pretty impressive duo.

Brandon and Kareem Rush – Both Brandon and Kareem have had respectable careers as shooting guards in the NBA, with the Brandon (the younger of the two by five years) still doing his thing as a member of the Indiana Pacers.  The really sad part of this particular story is that it could have been a familial NBA trio had the oldest brother, JaRon, been able to make the Seattle Sonics after having signed in 2000 despite not having been drafted.  Personal issues resulted in his being cut, however, so we’re left with just Brandon and Kareem.  No slouches, obviously, but three siblings would have put them in Barry territory.

Future NBA Brother Tandems:

Jeff and Marquis Teague – Jeff is currently a back-up point guard for the Atlanta Hawks, and younger brother Marquis is a top-ten high school recruit headed to the University of Kentucky next year.

Marcus and Markieff Morris – These twins out of the University of Kansas are both projected as first-round picks in this summer’s draft, though it’s not certain that they’ll leave school just yet.  Eventually, though, both guys will be in the league.

The Plumlees – Duke already has two Plumlees, Miles and Mason, and another one (Marshall) is heading out to Durham next fall to join them.  It’s very possible all three play together next season for the Blue Devils, but eventually one or more of them could end up in the NBA.

Tyler and Ben Hansbrough – Tyler was a lottery pick for the Indiana Pacers and really broke out the second half of this NBA season, and little brother Ben, a guard from Notre Dame, has potential as NBA player as well.  The younger sibling, however, is projected as a second-round selection as best, making this one less likely than the others.

We see all the time that talent in hoops runs in families, and as parents it would be hard not to feel overwhelming pride as you watched your children grow into talented young men (and, of course, multi-millionaires).  Talent often runs in families, but it doesn’t always run right to the NBA, and that’s what makes this list of gentlemen so impressive.