50 famous sports families

In 1978, the late Muhammad Ali said, “Women are not made to be hit in the breast and face like that.” Lo and behold, his daughter Laila, who was born only a year prior, eventually grew up to become a professional boxer and not just any boxer, but an undefeated 24-0 boxer who knocked out 21 opponents and held the WBC, WIBA, IWBF and IBA female super middleweight titles, as well as the IWBF light heavyweight title. Greatness clearly begets greatness. Additionally, Muhammad’s younger brother Rahman Ali (born Rudy Clay) was also a boxer who went 14-3 in his career, and Rahman’s son Ibn followed in his footsteps.

Sandy Alomar Sr. wasn’t an MLB superstar, but he was a one-time All-Star, expert bunter, and a dependable fielder who could play any infield or outfield position. His oldest son, Sandy Jr., fared better with a Rookie of the Year Award and six All-Star selections in a 20-year playing career. He followed that up with stints as a Mets and Indians coach and still acts as the first base coach in Cleveland. Sandy Sr.’s youngest did even better. Roberto Alomar amassed 12 All-Star selections, 10 Gold Gloves (a record for second basemen) and four Silver Sluggers. These accolades, along with his .300 career batting average, 2,724 hits and two World Series rings, earned him a trip to the Hall of Fame in 2011, his second year on the ballot.

Although Felipe Alou never made it to the Hall of Fame, he was a three-time All-Star in 17 seasons as a player and won NL Manager of the Year once in more than a decade at the helm of the Montreal Expos and San Francisco Giants, notching 1,033 career wins. He also played in the only all-brother outfield in 1963, when Matty and Jesús Alou were both called up by the Giants. During their tenures, Matty earned two All-Star nods and Jesús won two World Series rings. The baton was eventually passed to Felipe’s son, Moises, a World Series champ, two-time All-Star, and owner of a lifetime .303 batting average and 332 home runs. To add another wrinkle to this tale, Moises is cousins with former MLB reliever Mel Rojas (the nephew of Felipe, Matty and Jesús), who is the father of 26-year-old Atlanta Braves minor league outfielder Mel Rojas Jr.

The need for speed is deeply ingrained the Andretti DNA, beginning with the legendary Mario Andretti, the only driver to ever win races in Formula 1, IndyCar, World Sportscar Championship, NASCAR, midget cars and sprint cars — in addition to countless other accomplishments. Mario’s sons Michael and Jeff both followed in his footsteps, as did John and Adam Andretti, the sons of Mario’s twin brother Aldo. Still with us? Good, because we’re not done yet. Marco, the son of Michael and grandson of Mario, is currently representing the third generation of Andretti racers as an IndyCar driver.

Part of us still believes that Tiki and Ronde Barber are the same person, or at least clones, but we’ll give these “twin brothers” the benefit of the doubt. Although Tiki checked out of the New York Giants organization just prior to a big Super Bowl XLII win, he nevertheless compiled an impressive 10-season career that netted him 10,449 rushing and 5,183 receiving yards, as well as three Pro Bowl selections, and he retired very much still in his prime. Ronde also spent his entire 16-year career with one team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He won Super Bowl XXXVII, earned five Pro Bowl selections, and is one of only two players with 40+ interceptions and 20+ sacks in his career.

Jon and Brent Barry both spent 14 years playing in the NBA, and both are now basketball broadcasters. Their brothers, Scooter and Drew, also played professionally, and a half-brother, Canyon, was a standout at the University of Florida. Although at first it may seem surprising that five brothers became solid basketball players, they’re all the sons of Hall of Famer, eight-time NBA All-Star and expert free-thrower Rick Barry, so it actually makes sense. Even Canyon’s mother, Lynn Norenberg Barry, was the most talented woman in basketball history at the College of William & Mary.

When home run king Barry Bonds hit 30 dingers and stole 30 bags for the fifth time in his career, he became only the second man in baseball history to accomplish this feat. The first? His father, Bobby Bonds. Bobby also became only the second player, after Willie Mays, to reach 300 homers and swipe 300 bags. Obviously, he and Barry make up the most potent father-son team in MLB history according to their combined home run, RBI and stolen base totals.

The Browners might not be household names, but they’ve made quite the mark on the NFL. In all, six members of the Browner family have made it to the big show: brothers Ross (10 seasons), Joey (nine seasons, six Pro Bowls), Keith (five seasons) and Jim (two seasons), as well as Ross’s son Max Starks (nine seasons, two Super Bowl wins) and Keith’s son Keith Browner Jr. (three seasons).

The Currys are currently working on their second generation and now have five famous athletes. Obviously the most notable Curry is Steph, the five-time NBA All-Star, two-time MVP and two-time champion who is one of the best ballers in the game right now. His younger brother Seth was a star at Duke before moving on to the NBA in 2013. However, let’s not forget that patriarch Dell Curry was a 16-season NBA vet for the Jazz, Cavs, Hornets, Bucks and Raptors, and he also married Sonya Adams, a volleyball player at Virginia Tech, where the two met. To top things off, the youngest Curry, Dell and Sonya’s daughter Sydel, shined as a volleyball player herself at Elon University before retiring earlier this year.

Hall of Famer “Joltin’ Joe” DiMaggio was one of Major League Baseball’s most prolific hitters (lifetime .322 average, 366 homers and a possibly unbreakable 56-game hit streak), but his brothers were no slouches either. Dom was an 11-year veteran and seven-time All-Star whose 34-game hit streak is still a Red Sox record, and Vince earned two All-Star nods in his decade of MLB service. All three, of course, were center fielders. 

When “The Intimidator” died in a crash at the 2001 Daytona 500, it shattered the hearts of racing fans around the world. Thankfully, however, his children helped pick up the pieces and carry on the legacy of both their father and grandfather, stock car racer Ralph Earnhardt. NASCAR superstar Dale Jr. is of course the most famous and accomplished, but daughter Kelley is now vice president of JR Motorsports, and eldest son Kerry is also a former NASCAR driver. Kerry’s 27-year-old son currently competes in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, too. As if this wasn’t complicated enough already, Dale Sr. also married into racing royalty twice. His second wife, Brenda Gee, is the daughter of NASCAR car builder Robert Gee, and Dale’s third wife, Teresa Houston, is racer Tommy Houston’s niece. Tommy’s two sons are also involved in the family business. Phew!

The Esposito brothers are both hockey legends, but they made their marks on the game in totally different ways. Tony was a goalie who pioneered the butterfly style, had six All-Star appearances, won the Vezina Trophy three times and won the Stanley Cup once. Meanwhile, Phil Esposito was a center who scored 717 career goals over 18 NHL seasons, won two Stanley Cups, earned the Art Ross Trophy five times and was awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy twice. He’s now a radio broadcaster for the Tampa Bay Lightning, the team he and Tony co-founded in 1992.

Cecil and Prince Fielder aren’t just any father and son MLB duo; they also had remarkably similar careers. Both were primarily first basemen or designated hitters with about a dozen years of MLB service, both had at least three All-Star selections (Prince had six), both earned at least two Silver Sluggers (Prince earned three), both led their leagues in home runs (Cecil twice) and both finished their careers with exactly 319 homers.

The France family is known as NASCAR’s first family. Bill France Sr. co-founded and managed the business beginning in 1948, and he passed the reigns down to his son Bill Jr. in 1972, who then passed them down to his own son, Brian, in 2003. Additionally, Jim France (Bill Sr.’s other son) has been a top NASCAR and ISC exec for most of his life, as has Lesa Kennedy (Bill Jr.’s daughter). Outside of the front office, J.C. France (Jim’s son) is a former driver, and Ben Kennedy (Lesa’s son) is a driver now.

Considering the fact that Marisa and Agustí Gasol were both medical professionals, it’s a wonder how their sons all ended up being basketball players. The oldest, Pau, was drafted third overall in the 2001 NBA Draft, won Rookie of the Year in 2002, is a six-time All-Star and owns two NBA championships from his time with the Los Angeles Lakers. Marc is several years younger, was taken 48th overall in the 2007 NBA Draft and is a three-time All-Star. The youngest, Adrià, joined the UCLA Bruins as a walk-on but returned to Spain in 2013 to compete in his home country.

The Griffey family is currently attempting to build the third generation of its sports dynasty, albeit with a few alterations. Patriarch Ken Griffey Sr. found fame as a member of the Big Red Machine back in the '70s, won two World Series (1975 and 1976) and was a three-time All-Star. His kid, as you probably know, is  The Kid, Ken Griffey Jr. Junior is of course a first-ballot Hall of Famer who earned an MVP, 13 All-Star nods, 10 Gold Gloves and seven Silver Sluggers, while smacking 630 homers (ranking him sixth all time) during his 22 MLB seasons. The two even briefly played for the Mariners together. Ken Sr. had another son, Craig, who made it to Triple-A before retiring. As for the aforementioned third generation family members, they’re also pursuing sports careers but not in baseball. Junior’s son Ken “Trey” Griffey III was a wide receiver at University of Arizona was signed by the Steelers, and his daughter Taryn is on Arizona’s women’s basketball team.

Baseball fans will probably remember both Jerry Hairston Jr. and Scott Hairston as dependable, versatile, longtime MLB veterans who played for at least a half-dozen teams each, but their family history actually goes back quite a bit further. The brothers’ father, Jerry Sr., was an expert pinch hitter for 14 MLB seasons, and their uncle Johnny played three games for the Chicago Cubs in 1969. But the family’s story all started with grandfather Sam Hairston, a former Negro League catcher who, after the color barrier was broken, joined the Chicago White Sox for a single season.

Not only are Jim and John Harbaugh the first pair of brothers to both serve as NFL head coaches, but they also faced each other in Super Bowl XLVII at the helm of the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens, respectively. (John’s Ravens won 34-31.) Coaching is clearly in the Harbaugh genes, as Jim and John’s father, Jack, was also a longtime high school and college football coach following one season as a player for the New York Titans, the team that would later become the Jets. Together, Jim and John own 144 NFL and 78 NCAA victories, with Jim now back at his alma mater Michigan as head coach.

There are so many members of the Hart wrestling family that we couldn’t possibly mention all of them, but we’ll try. Stu Hart was the patriarch who trained some of the biggest names in wrestling, including sons Smith, Bruce, Keith, Wayne, Dean, Bret, Ross and Owen. Stu’s daughters, Ellie, Georgia, Alison and Diana, have also appeared on WWE television at some point. Additionally, Diana married into the Smith family (as in wrestler Davey Boy Smith and son Davey Jr.), Georgia married wrestler B.J. Annis (father of current independent circuit wrestler Teddy Hart), and Ellie married wrestler Jim Neidhart. Ellie and Jim’s daughter Natalya now performs with the WWE.

Don Hasselbeck compiled nine seasons as an NFL tight end and won Super Bowl XVIII before retiring in 1985 and eventually turning the family football reins over to sons Matt and Tim Hasselbeck. Matt logged 17 seasons as a quarterback with the Packers, Seahawks, Titans and Colts, earning three Pro Bowl selections along the way. Tim played seven seasons with seven different teams before becoming a TV analyst for ESPN. He was later joined by his brother in the same position.

The late Gordie Howe will forever be remembered as “Mr. Hockey,” one of the greatest stars to ever lace up a pair of skates. However, two former NHL players will remember him best as “Dad.” Gordie’s sons Mark and Marty played pro hockey for 22 and 12 seasons each, respectively, with the former earning a Hockey Hall of Fame induction in 2011. The three Howes actually all played as teammates for the Houston Aeros of the WHA between 1973 and 1977. Additionally, Gordie’s brother Vic (Mark and Marty’s uncle) played 33 games for the New York Rangers over three seasons in the 1950s.

The Howes aren’t the only multigenerational hockey family. Bobby Hull and his son Brett are both Hall of Famers, and they’re the only father-son duo to each rack up more than 50 goals in a season and more than 600 career goals. Additionally, they both won at least one Stanley Cup (Brett won twice), they both won at least one Hart Memorial Trophy (Bobby won twice) and they both finished their careers with more than 1,000 points each. As if that wasn’t enough already, Bobby’s brother Dennis also played in 14 NHL seasons, which included six as teammates on the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Klitschkos might be the two deadliest brothers in the world. Although older sibling Vitali is now mayor of Kiev (Ukraine) and head of the Kiev City State Administration, he’s also a former boxer and three-time world heavyweight champion who owns the eighth-longest heavyweight reign of all time and one of the highest knockout-to-fight ratios of any champion in history. Oh, and he’s never been knocked down in a fight. Not even once. His younger brother Wladimir isn’t too shabby either. He’s been the world heavyweight champion in the WBA, IBF and WBO (twice); he won a gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics; and he owns an overall record of 64-5. The brothers were so dominant that numerous documentaries have been made about their lives, and the period of heavyweight boxing between 2006 and 2015 is often referred to as the “Klitschko Era.”

Michael Laudrup is considered by some to be the greatest Scandinavian footballer ever and one of the greatest players in his generation. He is best remembered for winning four consecutive La Liga titles with FC Barcelona and a fifth with Real Madrid the very next year. His brother, Brian Laudrup, had his career cut short due to injury but still managed to win two Danish championships and three in the Scottish Football League, as well as earning the Danish Footballer of the Year Award a record four times. Pelé named both brothers as two of the 125 best living soccer players in 2004.

The Long family has a long NFL history that began back in 1981, when defensive end Howie Long was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the second round. He eventually amassed 13 Hall of Fame seasons with the team before retiring with eight Pro Bowl selections, a Defensive Player of the Year Award and a Super Bowl XVIII ring. His son Chris followed in his footsteps as a defensive end, winning a Super Bowl himself as a member of the 2016 New England Patriots and following that up with another Super Bowl title with Philadelphia Eagles, who defeated Long's former team. Howie’s second son, Kyle, has been a guard with the Chicago Bears since 2013 and has already earned three Pro Bowl nods.

Quarterback Archie Manning spent 16 strong seasons in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints, Houston Oilers and Minnesota Vikings but never won a Super Bowl. However, he had the opportunity to live vicariously through two of his three sons, who won two rings apiece. Peyton went all the way with the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLI and with the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50 before retiring in 2016. Eli is the current QB for the New York Giants, a franchise he led to victories in Super Bowl XLII and XLVI, winning MVP honors in both games. Archie’s oldest son, Cooper, was a rising star wide receiver at the University of Mississippi until his career was extinguished after a spinal stenosis diagnosis. 

See if you can keep up with this family affair. H.L. “Matty” Matthews was a minor league baseball player and college boxing, baseball, and track and field coach. His son was Clay Matthews Sr., an offensive tackle who played in the NFL for four seasons. Clay’s sons are Clay Matthews Jr., a linebacker and four-time Pro Bowler, and Bruce Matthews, a 14-time Pro Bowler and 2007 inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Clay Jr.’s son is Super Bowl XLV champion and current superstar Clay Matthews III. Bruce’s son, Kevin Matthews, also played in the NFL for several seasons, and one of his other sons, Jake Matthews, plays for the Atlanta Falcons. That’s four generations!

According to some fans, Valentino Mazzola was the greatest Italian player in soccer history. He was a prolific scorer and the captain of one of the all-time strongest teams, which he led to five Serie A championships — all before he and 17 teammates perished in the 1949 Superga air disaster, when Mazzola was still just 30 years old. Fittingly, Valentino’s son, Alessandro “Sandro” Mazzola, also became one of the greatest Italian soccer players. Sandro won four Serie A titles, two European Cups and two Intercontinental Cups, all with the same team. Sandro’s younger brother Ferruccio wasn’t too shabby either, as he won an Italian championship during his relatively brief career.

They’re no Williams sisters, but the McEnroe brothers did quite well for themselves. John is of course famous for his seven Grand Slam singles and nine Grand Slam doubles titles (among many other accomplishments), as well as his short temper and confrontational behavior on the court. Brother Patrick, who people often forget about, won one singles title and 16 doubles titles, including the 1989 French Open. Altogether, the brothers own almost 200 combined titles!

Not only did all three Molina brothers make it to the big leagues, but they all played catcher, had lengthy and successful careers, and all won at least one World Series. Bengie, the oldest, caught for the Angels, Blue Jays, Giants and Rangers. José played for the Cubs, Angels, Yankees, Blue Jays and Rays. In addition to winning a ring with Bengie as a member of the 2002 Angels (that’s them joking with Albert Pujols), Jose also won one with the Yanks in 2009. Yadier, the youngest, has found the most success, however. He won World Series rings with St. Louis in 2006 and 2011 and has earned eight All-Star nods, eight Gold Gloves, four Platinum Gloves and a Silver Slugger — and is still playing today!

During his 14-season NHL tenure, Howie Morenz won three Stanley Cups, earned three MVP Awards, set numerous scoring records and was one of the original nine inductees into the Hockey Hall of Fame. His only daughter eventually married Bernie Geoffrion, another future Hall of Famer who is credited for pioneering the slap shot during his 16-season career. Bernie’s son Dan continued the legacy by playing in 111 NHL and 78 WHA games before passing the torch to his own son, Blake Geoffrion. Although Blake was a promising young player, he unfortunately had to retire in 2013 following a skull fracture. However, he managed to appear in 55 NHL games, making him not only the fourth generation in his family to play in the league, but also the fourth to play for the Montreal Canadiens. As if this isn’t already enough, Bernie Geoffrion’s daughter married NHL player Hartland Monahan, whose son is former Seattle Mariners outfielder Shane Monahan.

Phil Niekro Sr. was a coal miner who played on a semi-pro baseball team, learned how to throw a knuckleball and taught it to his two sons. His oldest grew up to be baseball Hall of Famer and knuckleball specialist Phil Niekro, who pitched for two decades, earned five All-Star nods and five Gold Gloves, led the NL in wins twice and strikeouts once, and pitched a no-hitter. Phil Sr.’s younger son Joe never made the Hall, but he won a World Series, went to an All-Star Game and led the NL in wins once. Combining his 221 career wins with Phil’s 318, you’ve got 539 wins, the most ever by two brothers. Joe’s son, Lance, also played four seasons as a first baseman with the San Francisco Giants. In 2008, he attempted a comeback as — what else? — a knuckleballer but decided to become a coach instead.

Gaylord Perry is of course a Hall of Famer and famed baseball doctorer who amassed 314 wins and 3,534 strikeouts, but his brother Jim was a solid hurler as well. While Gaylord had five All-Star nominations, Jim had three. Gaylord had two Cy Youngs (one in each league); Jim had one. Gaylord led the league in wins three times; Jim led twice. Jim even had 212 wins! Another thing Jim had was a son named Chris, as in former PGA Tour golfer Chris Perry. Most baseball players end up playing golf after they retire, so really Chris was just jumping ahead to the inevitable.

After three days of investigation and review, Lee Petty was named the winner of the inaugural Daytona 500 in 1959. He eventually finished his career with 54 NASCAR Cup Series wins, but the Petty legacy wouldn’t end there. Lee’s oldest son, the legendary Richard Petty, topped his father by nabbing 200 wins, and his younger son, Maurice, was a valuable crew chief and engine builder for Petty Enterprises. Richard’s son Kyle was also a successful stock car driver, and his son Adam was on his way to becoming a fourth-generation star when he was tragically killed during a Busch 200 practice session in 2000. Ritchie Petty, Maurice’s son, also had a brief NASCAR career.

If the Plumlees decide to make a map of their ancestry, it should be done on a family basketball court instead of a family tree. Grandpa Albert “Bud” Schultz started it all as a basketball player at Michigan Tech, and his three kids also played college hoops, including daughter Leslie, the rebound record holder at Purdue University. Leslie married Millard “Perky” Plumlee after meeting at a basketball camp in 1979 and later gave birth to three sons: Miles, Mason and Marshall. Although four years separate the oldest from the youngest, all three played for Duke during the 2012 season, and all three were signed by NBA teams. Miles is an Atlanta Hawk, Mason is a Denver Nugget and Marshall is a Milwaukee Buck.

Although brothers Maurice and Henri Richard are both Hall of Famers who played their entire careers with the Montreal Canadiens, they were actually quite different. Maurice was born in 1921, was 5-foot-10, shot left-handed, played right wing and led the league in goals five times. Henri was 15 years younger, three inches shorter, shot right-handed, played center and led the league in assists twice. Maurice also won eight Stanley Cups, while Henri won 11, more than any other player in NHL history. A third brother, Claude, was also an aspiring hockey player, but he never found fame or success like his siblings.

Everybody knows the Iron Man, Cal Ripken Jr. He played a baffling 2,632 consecutive MLB games, notched 3,184 hits and 431 homers, was a 19-time All-Star and two-time MVP, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2007. However, he wasn’t the only baseball player in the family; in fact, he wasn’t even the only Baltimore Oriole in the family. Cal Ripken Sr. played in almost 600 minor league games for various teams, was a bullpen and third base coach for the O’s, and also managed the team for a season. On July 11, 1987, it became a true family affair, as Cal Sr. was the first and only father to ever manage two sons simultaneously in the majors when Billy Ripken was called up by Baltimore after the All-Star break. The youngest Ripken ended up logging 912 games over 12 mediocre MLB seasons.

Most people are aware that former NBA player and current Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers has some famous kids. Austin plays for his dad with the Clippers, Jeremiah played NCAA ball for Georgetown and Indiana, Spencer is currently a UC Irvine Anteater, and Callie played volleyball as a Florida Gator. However, it doesn’t stop there. Doc’s uncle is former nine-year NBA veteran Jim Brewer, his cousin Byron Irvin played for the Portland Trail Blazers and Washington Bullets, and another cousin is Ken Singleton, a former MLB outfielder and current New York Yankees commentator.

Twin brothers Rex and Rob Ryan have received their fair share of attention over the years, especially since they collectively own three Super Bowl rings earned in a span of only four seasons. However, some fans forget that their father, Buddy Ryan, was also a college and NFL coach. In addition to stints as the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles, Buddy was also a defensive coach with the Jets, Vikings, Bears and Oilers. He earned two rings himself, from Super Bowls III and XX.

The Schultz brothers, Dave and Mark, are famous for two reasons. First and foremost, they are the only American brothers in amateur wrestling to win both World and Olympic Gold, and they also won more NCAA, U.S. Open, World and Olympic titles than any American brothers in history. Both are members of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, too. However, they’re also famous for their involvement with infamous wrestling coach John du Pont, who senselessly shot and killed Dave in cold blood back in 1996. Their story has been immortalized in the film “Foxcatcher,” which stars Mark Ruffalo, Channing Tatum and Steve Carell.

Daniel and Henrik Sedin aren’t just brothers — they’re twins who also had almost identical career paths. Both declared for the 1999 NHL Draft, both were taken in the first round by the Vancouver Canucks (No. 2 and No. 3 overall, respectively), and both played their entire careers with the Canucks — save for the 2004-05 season, when they spent the NHL lockout playing for Modo Hockey in Sweden (with whom their father once played). On the ice, however, they’ve forged slightly different paths. Henrik was a playmaking center who had 830 assists, while Daniel was a left wing who scored 393 goals. Nevertheless, both brothers own more than 1,000 career points, an Art Ross Trophy, two All-Star selections and an Olympic gold medal. 

Sterling and Shannon Sharpe weren’t just the first brothers to appear in an NFL Pro Bowl game together; they were also the second and third, as the Sharpes appeared in the 1992, 1993 and 1994 games. In all, wide receiver Sterling owns five Pro Bowl selections and led the league in touchdowns twice, and tight end Shannon owns eight selections, three Super Bowl rings and an election to the Hall of Fame. Sterling nearly made the Hall himself, but his career was cut short after seven solid seasons when he suffered a neck injury. Both are currently NFL analysts on various networks.

After the Alis, the Spinks are the most famous family in boxing history. Their legacy began with Michael Spinks, who held the undisputed light heavyweight title from 1983 to 1985, the lineal heavyweight title from 1985 to 1988, and won a gold medal as a middleweight in the 1976 Olympic Games. His younger brother Leon won numerous medals as an amateur in the light heavyweight division, and in only his eighth professional fight, he famously defeated Muhammad Ali in one of the biggest upsets in boxing history. Leon had a son who was tragically gunned down just after turning pro in boxing, but his other son, Cory, is a three-time two-weight world champion who held the undisputed welterweight title from 2003 to 2005 and the IBF junior middleweight title twice between 2006 and 2010.

Henry and Linda Staal weren’t athletes; they were actually Canadian sod farmers by trade. Yet somehow they managed to birth four — four! — future NHL players. The oldest, Eric Staal, currently plays for the Minnesota Wild, but he has spent most of his career as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes. Next in line is Marc, who has been a New York Ranger for his entire career, including 2015-16, when he was teammates with Eric. Younger brother Jordan started his career with the Pittsburgh Penguins before getting traded to his current team, the Hurricanes, where he was also briefly teammates with Eric. Finally, Jared Staal brings up the rear as a current member of the Edinburgh Capitals of Scotland. He’s still trying to stick in the NHL after logging only two games there in his career. Those two games were, of course, with the Carolina Hurricanes and occurred when his brothers Eric and Jordan were both members of the team.

The Sutters aren’t just a hockey family; they’re a hockey dynasty. Collectively, brothers Brent, Brian, Darryl, Duane, Rich and Ron played close to 5,000 NHL games and won the Stanley Cup as players six times and twice more as coaches! The legacy continues as six second-generation Sutters also became pro hockey players, with Shaun, Brett, Brandon, Brody and Lukas all getting selected in NHL drafts, and Riley playing in the WHL.

Brothers Mychel, Klay and Trayce Thompson have all found some success in sports at the professional level. The oldest, Mychel, went undrafted in the 2011 NBA Draft but has bounced around the G League and logged five games of NBA experience with the Cleveland Cavaliers. His younger brother Klay is with the Warriors, with whom he has earned two NBA championships and four All-Star appearances. The youngest, Trayce, is an outfielder for the Chicago White Sox. Where did all this talent come from, you ask? Patriarch Mychal Thompson is a former No. 1 pick from the 1978 NBA Draft who won two championships and scored 12,810 points over a 12-year career. His wife Julie was also a volleyball player in college.

They may not be ticketed to the Hall of Fame, but it’s hard to deny that the Upton brothers are famous among today’s baseball fans. Melvin Upton Jr. (previously known as “B.J.”) made his MLB debut in 2004 and has played for the Rays, Braves, Padres and Blue Jays. Justin Upton debuted three years after his brother and has played for the Diamondbacks, Braves, Padres, Tigers and currently the Angels. Interestingly, the brothers’ time in both Atlanta and San Diego overlapped, meaning they have now been teammates twice. For what it’s worth, Justin is the better player, having earned four All-Star selections and three Silver Sluggers, amassing more hits, home runs and RBI than Melvin. 

No, we're not talking the television family, but Hall of Famer Bill Walton and his real-life family. Walton, of course, is one of the greatest NCAA and NBA players to ever step foot on a court (a two-time NBA champ, two-time All-Star and 1978 MVP), so it makes sense that he’d have some good genes. Son Luke Walton definitely takes after his father (check out the resemblance), as he also won two rings and is now the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. As for Bill’s other sons: Adam played for LSU, Nate played for Princeton and Chris played for San Diego State.

The Waners might be one of the least famous sports families on this list, but that’s no knock on Paul's and Lloyd’s accomplishments. Both played for almost two decades (including 15 years together as Pittsburgh Pirates outfielders) in the first half of the 20th century, both received All-Star nods (Paul actually had four), and both were dangerous hitters, earning the nicknames “Big Poison” (Paul) and “Little Poison” (Lloyd). It’s also probably worth mentioning that the two Waners had more combined hits (5,611) than the three Alou brothers (5,094) and the three DiMaggio brothers (4,853). Although their names are often unfamiliar to most baseball fans today, Paul and Lloyd are both enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

Before his daughters could even walk, Richard Williams decided that Serena and Venus would be tennis stars. He and wife Oracene began training them at age four, and it’s safe to say things worked out even better than expected. Serena owns 23 Grand Slam singles titles and is arguably the best female tennis player in the history of the sport. Venus isn’t far behind, as her seven Grand Slam titles rank her fifth all time. (She’d have more if Serena didn’t win so many of their head-to-head matchups.) The sisters have won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles together and four Olympic gold medals each (one singles medal and three doubles medals for both Venus and Serena). We’d love to list more of their accomplishments, but we’d likely need an entire book to do so.