You know, I got thinking about this whole ‘nepotism’ thing in the NBA the other day. It popped into my head, maybe watching a game or seeing a player’s name I recognized from the past.
So, I started doing a bit of digging. Just casually looking around online, you know? Trying to see how common it really is for players’ kids to end up in the league too. I wasn’t doing some deep academic research, just poking around based on my own curiosity.
And yeah, it seems like there’s definitely a pattern there. I found some mentions that there have been quite a few instances, maybe somewhere around 100 times in NBA history where a player joined the league after their father played. That seemed like a fair number when I first saw it.
Thinking About Access
It made me consider the whole environment. Do these kids just have way better access? I figured, yeah, probably. Growing up around the game, getting coaching tips maybe regular kids wouldn’t, knowing the right people. It makes sense.
I also thought about the player lifestyle. They get a pretty long offseason, right? Few months off. And even during the season, half the games are at home. So maybe they’re around their families enough for the kids to really soak up that basketball life, compared to some other demanding jobs.
- Better coaching access?
- Growing up immersed in basketball culture?
- Connections through their parents?
Then I stumbled across some stuff comparing different sports leagues. Saw some stats suggesting that maybe hockey, the NHL, actually has a higher percentage of players whose dads also played professionally. That kind of surprised me, actually. The NBA was apparently second on that list I saw.
So, is it really ‘nepotism’ in a bad way?
That’s the tricky part, isn’t it? It’s hard to draw a clear line. Is it just guys getting jobs they don’t deserve because of their dads? Or is it more about the advantages that come with growing up in that world? Like, you still have to be good enough to play, right? But maybe getting your foot in the door, getting scouted, getting that first chance is way easier if your last name is already known.
Plenty of sons of former players don’t make it big, or don’t make it at all. So the name alone isn’t a magic ticket to stardom. But it sure feels like it gives you a head start getting into the race.
Anyway, that was just me going down a bit of a rabbit hole the other day. Interesting stuff to think about when you watch the games.
