I’m sorry, but I couldn’t suppress a smile watching Domantas Sabonis haul in a career-high 28 rebounds against the Celtics. The Sacramento Kings forward is my favorite non-Celtics contemporary player. He is on his way to his third straight rebounding crown while becoming a triple-double threat every night. This guy just knows how to play.
This may come as no surprise because I was a fully paid member of the Arvydas Sabonis Fan Club, and it had me wondering if Arvydas and Domantas Sabonis might be the greatest father-son combination basketball has ever known. In fact, it made me think about great father-son combinations in all sports.
In basketball, you have to start with the Currys. Stephen Curry, of course, needs no introduction. He is the greatest all-around shooter in history and he is the most influential player of the 21st century, since he has everyone from 8 to 98 hoisting threes from absurd distances.
He is simply picking up where his father left off. Dell Curry played for five teams and in 1,083 regular-season games from 1986-2002. He was a career 40 percent 3-point shooter and was the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year in 1993-94 for the Hornets. He was not a Hall of Famer, but he left his mark on the game.
Oh, and don’t forget Steph’s younger brother Seth, whose fascinating journey has him on team No. 9 (Charlotte) in his 11th year. He’s a professional shooter who goes back and forth with his more acclaimed brother for the family leadership in career field goal percentage on a daily basis. (No lie.)
Homage must also be paid to the Barry clan. Needs No Intro Club member Rick spawned no fewer than three sons of varying NBA stature, the best of whom was Brent, the 1996 Slam Dunk champion who played 912 games for six teams while averaging 9.3 points a game. Brother Jon played 821 games as mostly a sub, averaging 5.7 points per game for nine clubs. Drew Barry got into 60 games for three teams while averaging 2.2 points a game. Another brother, Scooter, was a member of the 1988 NCAA champion Kansas Jayhawks.
How about Jimmy Walker and his son, Jalen Rose, you say? Well, Walker’s greatest fame was at Providence College and he had a nice, but unfulfilling, NBA career, averaging 16.7 points with two All-Star appearances. His son played for six teams in a 13-year career, averaging more than 20 three times but never making an All-Star Game.
The Bryants would have a case if only the father weren’t so delusionary. I don’t have to tell you about Kobe Bryant. He’s in the Needs No Intro Club. His father, Joe “Jellybean’’ Bryant, was an OK player who thought he was better than he was and who famously reacted to his being traded from the 76ers to the Clippers by saying, “I guess this means they don’t want a Magic Johnson type around here.’’
Now, about my man Arvydas Sabonis. He didn’t come to America until he was 30, and that was after Achilles’ issues. What NBA fans missed was the pre-injury Sabonis, a 7-footer with superb passing skills who was famously described as “Bill Walton with a 3-pointer.’’ In my mind, Sabonis was Nikola Jokic before Nikola Jokic. His list of European awards would run from here to the Canadian border and he was rightfully enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. I will never forget an Olympic game he played for Lithuania that was a pivot clinic for the ages.
We don’t know the eventual outcome of Domantas Sabonis’s career, but I say the Sabonis clan will be tough to beat.
Baseball gives us lots of fodder, and I guess you start with the Bonds family. Barry truly needs no introduction. Every fan has made up his or her mind on him. Either you acknowledge him as the legit home run champ or you don’t. Either you put him in the Hall of Fame or you don’t. We all know his numbers.
His father, Bobby, was the epitome of very good, but not great. Playing for eight teams, he was a three-time All-Star. He had 332 homers, 461 stolen bases, and 3 Gold Gloves. He was the first to have 30 homers and 30 steals more than once.
Their primary challengers are the Griffeys. Ken Griffey Jr. certainly needs no introduction. He came thisclose to being a unanimous Hall of Fame selection. My favorite slice of his career was the four-year period from 1996-99 during which he averaged 52 homers and 142 RBIs while winning four of his 10 Gold Gloves.
Ken Griffey Sr. was a respected member of the vaunted Big Red Machine. He hit .296 lifetime and made three All-Star teams. The Griffeys will never be forgotten for homering in the same game.
We must acknowledge the Boone family. Modern Red Sox fans know very well who Aaron Boone is. Brother Bret was a standout second baseman who made three All-Star teams while winning four Gold Gloves and two Silver Slugger Awards. Their daddy, Bob, was a four-time All-Star catcher with seven Gold Gloves. His father, Ray, played for six teams from 1948-60 and led the American League in RBIs with 116 in 1955. The Boones are baseball’s unquestioned No. 1 three-generation family.
We’ve got a duo coming up on the rail, though. Say hello to the Guerreros. Vladimir Sr. entered the Hall with 93 percent of the vote following the 2004 MVP, nine All-Star appearances, 449 homers, a career .318 batting average, three seasons with an OPS over 1.000, and five times leading the league in intentional walks. Vladimir Jr. is building his own Hall of Fame résumé, his average season being 32 homers, 100 RBIs, 35 doubles, and an .863 OPS.
Everybody thinks of the Mannings when it comes to football, and they should. Peyton is a charter member of the Needs No Intro Club, for sure.
What not enough people realize is just how good daddy Archie was. His Ole Miss exploits will stand the test of time, and it wasn’t his fault so many of his NFL teams stunk. I would take him over Eli, whose Hall of Fame claim rests on two games, and specifically two passes, one of which required a miracle catch. (Go ahead, Giants fans, shout me down all you like.) But he does have those two Super Bowl rings, bringing the family total to four.
Honorable mention goes to the Slaters. Father Jackie was a career Rams Hall of Fame tackle who made seven Pro Bowls and was honored by the NFLPA four times as the offensive lineman of the year. Son Matthew honored us with his presence from 2008-23, and if this all-time special teamer doesn’t join his dad in Canton, they should close the doors.
Now we have the biggie. Hockey has given us the Howes and the Hulls.
Gordie Howe and Bobby Hull are longtime members of the Needs No Intro Club. Does a combined NHL/WHA 1,888 goals impress you?
You may have forgotten how good Gordie’s son, Mark, was. I know I did. Mark was himself a Hall of Famer during a 16-year career. He also had the distinction of winning a silver medal in the 1972 Sapporo Olympics as a 16-year-old. And then there was little brother Marty, a solid defenseman for 12 NHL/WHA seasons.
Gordie Howe played with both of them in a career that lasted until he was 51 years old. No one else can say that.
But Bobby Hull’s son, Brett, was pretty good, too. His 741 goals and 650 assists earned him a Hall of Fame induction, in addition to a spot as one of Hockey’s 100 Greatest Players. I say take your pick.
The problem with making just about any list is that you almost invariably forget someone obvious.
Go ahead. I’m ready.
(I haven’t forgotten LeBron. But Bronny has a lot of work to do.)
Bob Ryan can be reached at robert.ryan@globe.com.