Sibling rivalries are of one of the best things in sports entertainment. They add a little more flavor to games and fortunately, there is no shortage of NBA siblings in the league today.
Throughout NBA history, we’ve seen various siblings go at it against each other on the hardwood. This not only added some competitiveness to the game, but it also certainly gave their families more moments to be proud of. For this piece, let’s take a look at NBA siblings in the league today. Or, more accurately, the five best.
Honorable Mention
A sibling pairing that deserves a special mention are the Gasol brothers. Pau and Marc are arguably the best NBA sibling pairing in recent memory, given that they have both racked up a great amount of accolades that includes NBA championships, All-NBA teams, and many more. However, Pau’s NBA status still up in the air and although Pau has made it known that he is considering making a return to the Lakers, it might be better for now to place them in the honorable mention.
5. LaMelo and Lonzo Ball
There aren’t a lot of families that made so much noise off the court as much as the Ball family. With LaVar Ball making bold claims that includes hyping his son Lonzo as the best player in the world. Furthermore, The head of the Ball family increased the drama by proclaiming that he could beat Michael Jordan one-on-one and would even launch the Big Baller Brand. As history unfolded, the Ball family immediately drew some flak from NBA fans which placed heavy expectations around the Ball brothers.
Fortunately, these two brothers aren’t really disappointing. Lonzo Ball, the eldest brother, has logged in four seasons in the league which saw him as a reliable starting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers and the New Orleans Pelicans. In fact, his rookie season, saw him bag All-Rookie Second Team Honors. Throughout his career, he has been averaging 10.8 points, 6.5 assists, and 6.0 rebounds per game. Although these numbers don’t really scream “best player in the world”, he is certainly one of the young pieces that the Pelicans are relying on to take the franchise to new heights alongside Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.
On the other hand, LaMelo Ball is just in his rookie year after after getting selected by the Charlotte Hornets in the recently concluded 2020 NBA Draft. However, the NBL rookie of the year wasted no time to make an immediate impact in the NBA. Just a few days ago, LaMelo registered a historic triple double in a 113-105 win against the Atlanta Hawks, wherein he put up 22 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists. With this production, Ball became the youngest player to achieve a triple double in a game at just 19 years old and 140 days.
Although these brothers are still quite young, there is no doubt that they possess a lot of potential. As a result, they rank fifth in this list.
4. Marcus and Markieff Morris
The Morris twins are certainly an interesting pairing. They entered the league in the same draft in 2011, which saw them getting drafted after one another with Markieff getting selected 13th overall by the Phoenix Suns and Marcus getting selected 14th overall by the Houston Rockets.
In 12 seasons in the league so far, the twins have bounced around various teams including a stint together with the Phoenix Suns. Although the Morris twins aren’t star players, they are one of the best sibling pairings in the NBA today with both players offering versatility and a valuable two way game. Marcus has averaged 12.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per outing. On the other hand, Markieff has put up decent numbers of 11.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game.
The two siblings are currently playing for legitimate championship contenders in Los Angeles with Marcus playing for the Clippers and Markieff with the Lakers. So far, the latter has been the more successful one with Markieff helping the Lakers win the NBA Championship just last season.
But nevertheless, their ability to affect both ends on the floor certainly compliments their team’s stars which makes these brothers valuable assets to their respective teams. A fun NBA siblings pairing.
3. Brook and Robin Lopez
Like Marcus and Markieff, another formidable twin NBA pairing today are the Lopez brothers. With both brothers standing at least seven feet tall, they provided the teams played for with some size and presence in the post. Brook and Robin both entered the league in the same year, after playing together in Stanford, with the former getting selected by the New Jersey Nets in the 2008 NBA Draft with the 10th overall pick. On the other hand, Robin was selected 15th overall by the Phoenix Suns.
Throughout the years, aside from having a constant feud against team mascots, Robin has established himself as a solid big man that can produce in the starting position or off the bench. In 13 seasons, the 7’0 big has produced 8.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per outing.
Brook, on the other hand, has also been relatively successful in the NBA. In his career, he has been averaging 16.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.5 dimes per game. But more importantly, he has also bagged various awards that include All-Rookie First Team, All-Defensive Second Team, and All-Star honors.
It is also worth noting that these two behemoths reunited in the 2019-2020 season and played for the Milwaukee Bucks as they helped the team finish as the top seed in the East.
2. Jrue, Justin, and Aaron Holiday
Unlike the rest of the brothers in this list, this set of brothers are a trio. The only other sibling trio in the league today are the Antetokounmpo brothers. Jrue, Justin, and Aaron actually made history in the NBA in 2019 when the trio shared the floor in a duel between the Indiana Pacers and New Orleans Pelicans, becoming the first trio of brothers in league history to play in the court at the same time.
Jrue, the eldest brother, has so far been the most successful as he has earned All-Defensive Team and All-Star selections. It is worth noting he was also declared the NBA Teammate of the Year in 2020. The current Bucks guard has established himself in the league as a lethal scorer that can keep in step with the best in the league.
Justin, on the other hand, is the only brother to ever win a NBA championship among the three, as he was part of the Warriors team in 2015 that dispatched the LeBron James led Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. Although Justin has been a bench player in the earlier stages of his career including the time when he won the championship, the 6’6 guard has been making his rise to relevancy in the NBA by making an impact on both ends of the floor for the Indiana Pacers.
Like Justin, Aaron is also playing for the Pacers. The youngest Holiday has been making an impact off the bench. In just three seasons so far, he has averaged 7.8 points, 2.6 assists, and 1.9 rebounds per outing despite playing in limited minutes.
With the trio playing in the Eastern Conference, we are surely to see more rivalries from the Holidays.
1. Stephen and Seth Curry
When it comes to shooting, I don’t think there is another sibling pairing that can match the long range firepower of the Curry brothers. Sure, it helps to be the sons of former NBA player and shooter Dell Curry. However, you can tell that these brothers have put in the work to become spectacles in the league today.
In fact, these two brothers have produced one of the best sibling rivalries in recent memory. In the 2019 Western Conference Finals, it marked the first time in league history that two brothers would come face to face in a Conference Finals series. Of course, that series saw Steph and the Warriors advancing past Seth and the Portland Trailblazers after a grueling seven game series.
Over the years, Steph has established himself in the league as arguably the best shooter in NBA history. With 2,537 career three pointers on 43.3% shooting, he is no question an elite player that can go off just about in any game. Furthermore, because of his elite shooting, the older Curry makes a case as the best guard in the league today. The sweet shooting guard has earned three NBA championships, two League MVP trophies, six All-NBA team selections, and six All-Star teams.
Although Seth Curry’s achievements don’t come close to his older brother’s, the younger Curry is by no means a pushover. After a slow start in the league, Seth finally had a breakout season in 2016-2017 with the Dallas Mavericks as he averaged 12.8 points per game off the bench. Thus, it only started his rise to become one of the steady guards in the league, as he is currently the starting guard for the Philadelphia 76ers. In his career so far, he’s been shooting better than his older brother from rainbow country at an efficient clip of 44.9%.
With Stephen Curry reaching superstardom and his younger brother Seth evolving into a reliable starting guard, there is no doubt that they are easily the greatest sibling pairing in the NBA today.
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