![]() ![]() Given the NBA's age minimum and the heightened importance of picking the right school at which to make an impression, that institutional knowledge must be valuable to the second generation, just as it would be for any teenagers. Melvin had also been through the recruiting ringer as a top prospect in coastal Mississippi. What's more important, the genes of an All-Star or having a parent with the time and freedom to coach you through your formative years?īooker got the latter: his dad was an assistant coach at Moss Point High where Devin starred. The NBA's familial branches speak to the balance between nature and nurture so debated in education and skill development circles. will someday destroy the NBA, but perhaps we'll instead learn to fear the child of a less notorious player who bounces in and out of the league. We're all eager to see whether LeBron James Jr. Some of the offspring were borne of role players or journeymen, some were born of stars. Some, including Wesley Matthews and Jalen Rose, had no paternal support whatsoever. Some of the second-generation players, like Steph, Klay, Devin and Jabari Parker, were able to learn at the feet of their NBA fathers. (The most recent such revelation: Justise Winslow's dad Rickie was a part of Phi Slamma Jamma.) Every basketball addict like yours truly find new genealogical info every day. There are so many second-generation players in the league that it's no longer particularly notable. Namesakes like Tim Hardaway, Glen Rice, Glenn Robinson and Larry Nance litter the league. Kobe Bryant famously followed his father Joe into the league. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are the most prominent examples, both because they are two of the best players in the league and because their fathers were well-known. You'd have to think that Melvin Booker and prospects like him would get a longer look in today's NBA.ĭevin Booker's prominence also speaks to a growing population of second-generation NBA players in the league. But Melvin's lack of NBA permanency compared to Devin's early stardom helps illustrate the increased importance of deep shooting. Granted, the younger Booker has a number of physical advantages over his father: he's five inches taller and more athletic. Now he's a candidate for first-team All-Rookie as the featured scorer for the Phoenix Suns. He chose powerhouse Kentucky, spent a year there and became a lottery pick. ![]() He became one of the best prospects on the Gulf Coast and eventually drew attention from the top college programs. Devin moved to Moss Point, Miss., before his sophomore year of high school to live with the then-retired Melvin. He had the sort of pro basketball career so many top-flight college players without great size have had, in that it was well outside the NBA spotlight. Shortly after Devin was born in 1996, Melvin had moved to Italy to pursue a European career that spanned a decade and took him to Russia and Turkey, as well. Melvin played in the Continental Basketball Association for a year until having cups of coffee with three NBA teams. That wasn't the case in the mid-90s, and the elder Booker went undrafted despite earning second-team All-America as a senior. As the NBA prioritizes space, the shooters who can create it with their mere presence draw more attention in the draft. These days, as Booker's son Devin has learned, that's a valuable set of skills. ![]() When Melvin Booker left the University of Missouri in 1994, he did so as a college star with a penchant for taking, and making, three-pointers. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |