5 NBA Stars Who Could Have Better Playing Careers Than Their Dads

Stephen Curry His father, Dell Curry, was a 1986 first-round draft choice out of Virginia Tech who was as smooth a shooter as the league had at the time. A shooting guard, he was not much of a defensive player, but he lasted 16 seasons in the NBA because he was deadly from the perimeter. Teams always need scoring. He made 1,245 three-pointers in his career, during which he averaged 11.7 points. Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors has simply blown up. He has Dell Curry’s quick release, but he’s arguably a better shooter than his dad, and definitely a better all-around scorer and player, fashioning hoops via mid-range jump shots and daring forays to the basket while still among the league leaders in assists. After a month of the NBA season, Curry is the top MVP candidate, averaging 23.7 points and 7.2 assists on the team with the league’s best record. Klay Thompson Mychal Thompson was a serviceable 13-year NBA player who was the No. 1 pick of the 1978 NBA Draft out of Minnesota. Born in the Bahamas, he was the first foreign-born player to be the top selection. Thompson, at 6-10, was an integral part of the Los Angeles Lakers’ back-to-back championships in 1987 and ’88. He averaged 13.7 points a game in his career with four teams. Klay Thompson is shorter than his dad, but the 6-foot-7 guard is one of the purest shooters in the league. He was the No. 11 pick in the 2011 draft and has blossomed into a bona fide star. He’s averaging 20 points a game so far and, with Steph Curry, forms perhaps the most explosive backcourt in the NBA. Al Horford Tito Horford was a second-round draft pick out of Miami whose NBA career was not much of a career. He only lasted three seasons and a total of 63 games. He was raw: 7-foot-1 from the Dominican Republic. But the NBA game was too much for him. Not so for his son, Al, of the Atlanta Hawks. Horford won two championships in college at Florida and is one of the steadiest power forwards in the game, albeit a bit underrated. In his eighth season, Horford averages 13.7 points and 7.4 rebounds in his career. He made the 2011 NBA All-Star East team as a reserve. Tim Hardaway Jr. He was just six feet tall, but Tim Hardaway Sr. made up for his lack of size with big-time talent. Before blowing out his knee, he was one of the most prolific point guards of his era. His “killer crossover” was virtually unstoppable, and his ability to score among taller men and drain perimeter shots made him an offensive juggernaut. He averaged 17.7 points in his 16-year NBA career, even though he did not average more than 10 points a game in his last four seasons. Junior is taller (6-foot-6) and more athletic, but not as explosive as his father. He’s averaging 9.8 points in his second NBA season with the New York Knicks, and seems to have the skill set to increase that total as he gains experience. His dad was a five-time NBA all-star. That’s a lot for his son to overtake. Glen Rice Jr. Daddy was the No. 4 pick in the 1989 NBA Draft and earned a reputation as a premier three-point shooter. He played 16 seasons in the NBA between six teams. He averaged 18.3 points for his career and was the 1997 NBA All-Star Game MVP. In other words, Junior has some work to do to eclipse his father’s strong career. He’s in the second year of his career and has not played much for the Washington Wizards. Rice Jr. is not the shooter his dad was. Rather, he’s a scrappy small forward who makes a living on hard work on defense and slashing through the lane. Barring a dramatic improvement in his scoring ability, Rice Sr. will always have bragging rights.

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