LeBron, Bronny and fathers and sons

The best.

LeBron James got his wish last week when the Los Angeles Lakers drafted his son, Bronny, with the 55th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

LeBron had long made clear that he planed to stay in the league until his son could join him — and that he wanted to play with Bronny if at all possible.

It remains to be seen whether that will actually happen — Bronny needs to make the team etc. — but there seems to be a decent chance that LeBron and Bronny share the court at some point in the next season.

Which would be historic in and of itself. There’s never been a father and son to play on the same NBA team at the same time before.

It remains to be seen, however, where LeBron and Bronny will rank in the best father-son duos ever. LeBron is, without doubt, the best or 2nd best NBA player ever. His son is, well, an unknown commodity at this point.

Who holds the title right now?

I think it’s between two baseball-playing families.

Barry and Bobby Bonds

Most people know about the records — and controversy — surrounding Barry Bonds. He’s the all-time home run leader (762) but many people look askance at that record due to his associations with performance-enhancing drugs.

What most people are less aware of is just how good Bobby Bonds was. Over 14 years in the big leagues, Bobby Bonds hit. 268 with 332 home runs and 1,024 RBIs. He also stole 461 bases. He was a three-time All Star and finished third in the MVP voting in 1973 when he hit 39 home runs and drove in 96 runs.

Obviously, Barry’s stats surpass his dad’s — and virtually everyone else’s who has ever played the game. Barry was a SEVEN-time league MVP. And a 14-time All Star. He hit .298 for his career and drove in 1,996 runs. And Bonds not only has the home run record but also the record for most career walks: 2,558.

Ken Griffey Jr and Ken Griffey Sr.

I am a little biased here because, as a kid, I worshipped Ken Griffey Jr. I imitated his batting stance — even though I was a righty and he was a lefty. I wore my hat backward like he did. I bought up as many of his Upper Deck rookie card as I could.

But, even an objective onlooker would be bowled over by The Kid’s stats. In a career that spanned more than 2 decades, Griffey batted .284 with 630 home runs and 1,836 RBIs. He was a 13-time All Star and won the MVP in 1997 when he hit 56 home runs and had 147 RBIs.

His dad wasn’t the player that his son was — but he was pretty damn good. The senior Griffey his .296 over a 19-year career. He slugged 152 home runs and had 859 RBIs. He made three All-Star teams.

There are other father-son duos in other sports that are worth mentioning. Bobby and Brett Hull were pretty amazing in hockey. There’s Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in NASCAR. Dell Curry and Steph/Seth Curry in the NBA. Archie Manning and Peyton/Eli Manning in the NFL. Howie Long and Chris/Kyle Long in the NFL. Ed McCaffrey and his son Christian in the NFL.

For my money though, I’ll take the Griffeys as the best father-son combo ever. What about you?