Generational Hooper
Generational Hooper is probably something I have thought about for years, but I think it is time to take a deeper dive at this. Some of my favorite clips of the NBA are when players kids take over a media interview or when you see them at a shoot around. One of the best clips is seeing Steph Curry as a kid shooting on an NBA court as a kid and now taking the exact same shot as the greatest 3 point shooter ever! Generational Hooper’s are everywhere, but not everyone makes it to the NBA.
What If…..
The first thing that comes to my mind is, the what if question. What if my dad was Dell Curry, would I have been the greatest shooter of all time? You obviously have no control on who your parents are, but do these kids really have an advantage. It is hard to say whether or not your parents being absolute beast on the court would make you a NBA hall of famer. Look at some current players whose parents also played in the league, besides the Curry brothers, you have, Cole Anthony, Klay Thompson, Devin Booker, Tim Hardaway Jr, Gary Payton II and Austin Rivers. All these players had a dad that played in the best league in the world. You can’t help but assume they obviously have a clear advantage with resources and exposure. But that alone isn’t guaranteeing you making it to the league.
Hurt or Help
The flip side of this is that there are kids who had incredible parents, but never made a large enough impact. You point towards Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, Shawn Kemp, and John Stockton. These Hall of fame players all had kids that never made a large impact in the league and I always wonder if you have the resources why do some make it and some don’t. I remember Grant Hill talking about how impactful having a father who was a professional athlete was to his career at a young age. His dad was an NFL player and seeing that work ethic and what it takes to be a high level athlete can only be beneficial. The question then becomes why do some make it and others don’t?
My Opinion….Work
At the end of the day, you have to be a flat-out Hooper if you want to make it in the league. It doesn’t matter who your dad or mom is or how much money you have. You still need to get on the court and compete against players that want it just as bad as you do. Just because your dad or mom was somebody, doesn’t guarantee you a spot in the greatest league in the world. I have been a coach at the high school level for about 10 years and I have met a lot of parents who played high level basketball. Some kids just don’t have the same love for the game and some don’t have the same work ethic.
Share the love
I truly enjoy seeing the new generation of Hooper’s coming into the league. Announcers are starting to comment on the players parents and even in college basketball you are beginning to recognize last names. There is this kid named Scottie Pippen Jr at Vanderbilt right now that is putting his own name on the map. There are videos of Carmelo working out his kid, Dwayne Wade playing 1 on 1 with his son. Those are things that make this sport incredible. You can connect with your parents or others through a ball and a hoop. Generational Hooper’s are already making an impact in this league, but in a few years, there will be a wave of players are going to rise and we will recognize the name for a very long time.
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