NBA Father's Day Special: Those family stories of father and son on and off the court

Owen & Sons: South Orange Park's heads-up

Dredrick Owen nodded at Kairi, and then glanced at him with an embarrassed look, and Kairi looked down to find that on such an important occasion, his pants were not zipped, and he awkwardly pulled the zipper.

This day was Kyrie Irving's first press conference to join the Cavaliers.

"You got a treasure because I'm his father, I didn't want to say that, but he really is a special child, and he has other unknown talents in him."

Drederic said to the Knight's media. He is the elder Owen, the father of Kyrie Owen.

There is a wall in Owen's house with a mark on which Owen increases each time his height, and at the very top of the mark, there is a line of small print:

"Dad, I want to grow up..." (Dad - I Wish!)

Owen has spent his life comparing himself to his father, chasing him in his footsteps.

Drederic was a great player for a long time, Boston University's scoring champion, Rock Park's MVP, and went to Australia to play professionally.

As soon as Irving learned to dribble, the elder Owen often pulled him to play single-handed, and went all out, without releasing the slightest water. After heads-up, the two will also train intensively.

The reason why Dredrick is so strict is all because Irving can support his life alone after that.

There are many NBA stars who have lost their father's love since childhood, but Irving has lost his mother's love.

After Owen's mother died, Drederick often secretly cried when no one was around. Wiping away his tears, he secretly promised to raise his son and daughter to be strong people and live happily ever after.

"Kyrie" is the name given by the elder Owen, which translates to "monarch" in Greek. This is the expectation of the elder Owen, hoping that Kyrie will become a strong and loving person.

Of course, those single-handedly singling out are always dads bullying his son, but Irving didn't give up, lost and practiced again, and came back after training, and Drederick insisted on training with his son day after day.

Until two years before the draft, Irving beat his father in his first single-player challenge, in South Orange, New Jersey.

Irving used a nice feint, shook his father, and finished the game with a perfect low-handed layup — just like Dredrick did when he was younger.

16-0, Kyrie Irving beat Dredrick Irving.

Drederic still treasures a greeting card written crookedly in pencil, which was given to him by little Owen when he was in fourth grade, and he still wears reading glasses from time to time and reads the words aloud:

"Dear Daddy,

Thank you for your care and love for me, I know I would not be where I am without your education. Thank you for teaching me to play basketball, I still have a long way to go and I want to follow in your footsteps.

I love you and always have loved you. "

"What could be happier as a father than watching your son be better than yourself?"

Dredrick said with relief.

On the day of the draft, Kyrie Irving came out on top, and he was excited to "want to hug my father for 10 minutes."

Recalling that day standing in front of the "height wall", tilting his head, looking at the line of small words, he exclaimed:

"Wow, it's been a long journey."

James & Sons: Fatherly love like a mountain

Brownie James steals opponents and pushes counterattacks at full speed.

Then - like his father - came a one-handed tomahawk split.

LeBron James was on the sidelines, standing with Brownie's coach and clapping his hands excitedly.

After leading the Lakers to a series against the Warriors in the Western Conference semifinals to 2-1, James talked excitedly about Brownie,

"Obviously, his dad didn't go, his mother didn't go to college. I think my mom went to (geriatric) college or somewhere for a while, but she had my little daughter running around so she couldn't spend too much time in the classroom... So for our family, it's very, very exciting, very humbling moment. It's great, he's a good kid, and USC has a good kid too. ”

As the first college student in the old Jen family, James is of course proud of Brownie.

In the 2011 Finals, the live host of the Lone Ranger (then Mavericks) introduced James as follows:

"Next up in Miami is LeBron James from St. Vincent Mary High School — he didn't go to college and is so illiterate — wearing the number 6 jersey."

Now Brownie has finally made up for James' regret that he did not go to college in his father's name.

Of course, this move only sets the stage for the real goal of father-son on the same stage.

Even after James was retired, it was personally known that James would play another year to achieve that goal.

In recent years, James can be seen appearing more frequently on the sidelines of Brownie's games.

In order to build momentum for his son, LeBron did not hesitate to fly to his son's game on the only day off.

He usually wears solid-colored short-sleeved shorts, holds a bottle of mineral water, yells on the sidelines, and even gets up from a small plastic chair next to the scoring table when excited.

The king who called the wind and rain in the arena, at this time, except for his tall body and strong muscles, there was no difference from the parents present. It's like an old father, cheering for his children.

Of course it's different, he's LeBron. While watching his son play, he was dissatisfied with the referee's decision, and he stood up directly and theorized with the referee, with an exaggerated expression on his face like shouting at JR Smith at the last minute of the first game of the '18 Finals.

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In addition to the heartfelt sincerity, more importantly, the "king" knew that doing so would bring attention to the "prince" and create momentum for his future.

Although LeBron has not felt his father's love, he cannot deny that he has been seriously and sincerely playing the role of a good father.

He wants to open up the ice for the children's future, and then that's where they can dance freely.

"All I have to do is when I have a kid, I'm going to make him not only a college student, but also make him do all the things I haven't done."

Brownie just charges forward, and there is always a James standing on the bottom line to "put pressure on the referee" for him. James took care of everything, even he gave up the key "decision" that affected his career and came to Los Angeles to pave the way for his son.

At the same time, he also carefully guides Brownie, sobering him up in time when Brownie is about to go astray under the temptation of flowers.

For example, when Brownie was recovering from injury, he posted a video of himself smoking on social media, and James, who was playing at the time, became angry and grounded Brownie for a while.

It can be said that for the sake of the children, James broke his heart.

And all kinds of remarks of middle two,

"My twins, my first, my young king."

"The young king is fighting for what he deserves, don't think about sitting back and enjoying it, everything is on your own! Let's keep up the good work, kid! ”

You can hack James as a hype maniac, but if you put aside his identity as James, isn't this just a playful father who likes to share his children in the circle of friends?

Of course, if you want to wear a crown, you must bear its weight.

Brownie's childhood and adolescence were happier than many children, and the pressure of attention was unmatched by others, and many things have been decided since he was named LeBron James II.

Father's love is like a mountain, James's love, deep but also heavy.

Brunson & Sons: The Legacy of the Mantle

In fact, before James achieved "father and son on the same stage", Brunson and son had "realized".

Jaylen Brunson worked as a Knicks player alongside team assistant coach Rick Brunson, his father.

Compared to Brunson Jr., Rick Brunson is just a common name buried in the long river of the NBA.

9 years of NBA career, nine teams (not counting the teams that did not play), averaging 3.2 points per game, an ordinary small player.

But he was Brunson's idol on his growth and the player who influenced him the most.

After a game in 2006, Brunson Sr., then playing for the 76ers, was called into the office by the team's general manager, and a few minutes later he hung his head and went home with 10-year-old Jaylen.

On the way, little Brunson has been excitedly enjoying his father's next game, and the elder Brunson finally told the truth.

"Son, I'm not going to play for the 76ers anymore. I was cut again. ”

"There will be other teams to sign you, right?"

Little Brunson thought everything would be the same as before, only temporarily.

The truth is, after that, old Brunson was left unwanted.

"If you really want to be a professional footballer, listen to me and you will take a different path than me."

The elder Brunson would never want his son to repeat the mistakes he made, knowing that only rigorous training and hard work, the talented Brunson family can gain a foothold in the NBA.

When Brunson Jr. was 10 years old, Rick set him a strict daily after-school training program and then took him to various places to play.

"Pass the ball to Lao Tzu! Otherwise, you TMD don't fight! ”

The elder Brunson roared every time, deepening Jaylen's concept of "passing", because when a small man wants to stand in the NBA, he can only rely on excellent organizational skills.

So then Brunson Jr. fell in love with Nash, wearing the number 13 jersey under the Lone Ranger.

Of course, Jaylen Brunson's favorite player is his father, especially him during the Knicks period. Brunson Sr. spent three seasons with the Knicks, the longest team he's ever played for.

Brunson was a Knicks fan for a long time as a child, putting stickers of many Knicks players on the wooden floor at home. Whenever his father had a game day, little Brunson would take out his small bag, stuff his sneakers, shorts and jersey into it, and then say to his mother:

"I'm going to play my own game."

He also likes to imitate Alan Houston, the Knicks' star at the time. This may be the reason why when he faced a big scene later, he was able to be fearless and kill the enemy like a water stop. (P.S. Alan Houston, nicknamed "H2O," is "water," which, combined with his style, can be described as "bad water.") ）

When Brunson told these stories off the pitch, he always simplified the story, even when shooting magazines, he dressed simply to appear. This simplicity comes from the strength of his heart, and the strength comes from his Knicks father.

In the 12-year dormant career of the elder Brunson, he never stopped training, and "self-discipline" was the best lesson he taught Brunson. Powerful, comes from the attitude of investment in training.

"I really couldn't understand it at the time, I really thought he was the only one doing something like this,"

Brunson said,

"Looking at everyone's spare time now, it's really a stark contrast to my dad's time. But even after he did so much, he played in the league for 9 years and went overseas to play, but never got a guaranteed contract. ”

As a child, when the elder Brunson was sweating profusely for a run, little Brunson followed him on his bicycle.

And now, the child riding a bicycle has successfully achieved what his father did not achieve, based in the NBA, and won a big contract.

Most importantly, the child stands as a leader in Madison Square Garden, wearing a Knicks jersey with "Brunson" printed on its back.

O'Neill & Sons: Love doesn't need blood

Of course, it is not O'Neill and his son Sharif who want to talk about it here, but O'Neill's stepfather, Philip Harrison.

O'Neill was abandoned by his biological father at birth, and then his mother took him to meet Harrison, who became O'Neill's father ever since.

Philip Harrison played an important role in O'Neill's upbringing, Harrison was a soldier who treated his children harshly, but at the same time cared for them.

"Harrison gave me shelter and a lot of toys, and for me, Harrison is the only dad I care about,"

O'Neill said,

"When I make a mistake, my dad will hit me, but I just deserve to hit. He did this in the hope that I would be on the right path, and if it weren't for his stick education, I might be in prison right now. If I hadn't had my dad by my side, I wouldn't be the Shaq I am today. ”

O'Neill's dominance that may be the first in history stemmed from Harrison's punch.

Every center has a point guard dream, and O'Neal dreamed of becoming a point guard like Magic as a kid. Every time he played, he didn't even tie his shoelaces, so he dribble, and made a "whoosh" sound from time to time, making himself look as if he was dribbling fast.

In one game, O'Neal broke through the defense of a small player, faced with a nearly empty basket, he chose to pick a basket when he could dunk, and then hit the iron.

Harrison immediately called a timeout.

"What are you guys doing?!"

Harrison roared.

"I'm studying the way Dr. J and the magician play."

Then Harrison listened to O'Neill and slammed his fist on him.

"Shaq is Shaq!" Harrison said.

Since then, O'Neal has been able to dunk and become a truly dominant monster, no longer engaging in bells and whistles and layups.

O'Neill's childhood was not without beatings.

The mischievous Obi always has a lot of bad ideas, such as hiding iron chains in his school bag, stealing things from stores, and even thinking about burglary.

Of course, whenever he wanted to carry it out, Harrison's beating could correct him.

Once O'Neill and his brother wanted to eat chewing gum, but there was no money, and the two started thinking about stealing from the store.

They did steal, but were soon discovered by Harrison.

Harrison asked them where the money came from, and they said, "It was a passing aunt who invited us to eat." ”

Then there was a violent beating on the grounds that it violated the rule of "not accepting snacks from strangers at will".

It is because of the strict tutoring that O'Neill can grow up healthily.

O'Neill looked down on the rookie Yao Ming at first, and even mocked Yao Ming by imitating his Chinese.

Then he was educated by Harrison. Harrison received a Christmas card from Yao at Christmas, mentioning that O'Neal was one of Yao's most admired players and greeting the O'Neal family.

"You have to respect him, he's a good boy."

Harrison criticized Ao Fat's previous remarks, and since then the two centers have cherished each other.

Without Harrison, O'Neill would have been a mischievous big boy who made O'Neill great.

Of course, aside from the strict tutor, Harrison has always provided O'Neill with the best in everything, loving him without expecting anything in return, even if they are not related by blood.

After Harrison died of illness, O'Fat was in pain, and all the honors he achieved were placed in Harrison's room, which he built for Harrison's memorial.

"So when my father hit me, I didn't cry, but tears rolled in my eyes.

I dunked the rebound, and then I looked at him; He didn't show a smile or any expression, and he just looked at me like he was saying it was long overdue. ”

O'Neal always remembered the time his father beat him up for failing to dunk.

Ball & Sons: Noisy father

"Have you thought about changing your (BBB) name? I'm just doing it from a marketing perspective. ”

Lonzo Bauer suggested that his father change the brand name.

"Why change your name? Like someone advised me to replace your "Lonzo-Bauer" with "Alfonso Bauer"? Because he (Brother Ball) has been a waste for the past two years! ”

Laval angrily sprayed Lonzo back.

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From that moment four years ago, Lonzo Ball was no longer the obedient big boy, who modified the "BBB" tattoo in the middle of the season.

At that moment, he seemed to break free from the shackles and truly become his independent self.

Soon after, three-ball LaMelo Ball also jumped out of BBB to sign Puma, and these were all messages from the big brother to him - "stay assertive" - to help him decide.

The ball daddy lost two "balls" for a while, and the remaining two Bs still supported the family brand alone.

As soon as the playing brother entered the league, all kinds of public opinion poured towards him. Everyone in the league wanted to give this "arrogant" guy a little color, he was being targeted too much that he shouldn't have — as a rookie, and it all started with his big-mouthed father.

Rawal Ball is probably the most famous father of a player in NBA history who has never played an NBA game himself.

We have long seen his various statements against the sky.

Daddy can speak, can blow, no one in the world can match, even though he averaged 3.3 points per game during his college career.

He is always the loudest man on the pitch.

For as long as Lonzo can remember, the ball daddy has been like this, it has not changed. Whether watching their sons play or coaching their team, Little Ball always knew that Dad was watching him play very close because everyone could hear him all the time.

And that's how Raval Ball loves his son the most: not just attending, but fully engaged.

We are used to thinking of Ball Daddy as a clown character, but we ignore his ordinary and great side as a father.

In 2017, rookie Lanzo wrote a letter on Father's Day called "To the Loudest Man in the Arena."

In his letter, he wrote:

"The real you is not what everyone sees on TV. It's just my father, that's all. ”

The media will only focus the camera on the ball daddy's "grinning teeth", and will not bother to understand the story behind it.

Laval would spend the whole day emptying the living room, just to give the young golfer three brothers enough space to play. These media outlets will not report.

Laval got up early every morning to make breakfast, and every morning of the three brothers' childhood was awakened by the aroma. These media outlets will not report.

Laval trains with his three brothers every week, runs from home to the mountains, runs around in the heat, and goes home to do push-ups. None of this media will cover it.

Journalists don't always be, and Laval is always there.

He will inspire the three brothers when they are lonely and alert them when they are proud.

When Ball Brother is angry, Ball Daddy just says "I hope you understand that you won't get better this way." "It calms him down. Brother Ball had never heard in his mouth: "The game is playing well. This sentence, the ball daddy is definitely not the kind of frivolous person.

Once, in a field ball match of the Ball Family Team, the opponents were all taller and stronger adults than the three brothers and their teammates, and LaMelo was even 30 centimeters shorter than his opponent. Everyone will feel that if they lose less than 20 points, they will win.

But that's not the case with the ballers.

Before the game, Laval turned on the stereo to the maximum to get everyone excited. Then they came on the field, ran with a group of kids, bombarded the adults with a three-point meal, and finally won the game "miraculously".

"The atmosphere on the way home after that race was really fantastic."

Bauer recalled this moment in his letter.

The genes of the Bauer family are all derived from Laval. Lonzo inherited his tenacity perfectly, and LaMelo inherited his confidence.

Today, both sons are entering the NBA with high picks, as Laval keeps saying, "I told you earlier." ”（I told you so.）

Finally, let's end with the end of Ranzo's letter to Laval on Father's Day.

"You've never had the easiest life. Everything you get is earned by your labor. And you have spent your entire adult life quietly influencing us to be passionate about our work and to ensure that we never encounter the challenges you face. I can't imagine asking for more from a father like you.

Thank you for teaching me how to play this game. Thank you for teaching me how to be a person. And thank you for never apologizing for insisting on being yourself.

Happy Father's Day, Father. I love you. ”

Happy Holidays to fathers all over the world!

(Text/Grete of Los LaTownie 0663)