Like LeBron James, they played professionally with their son

A family affair. Like many vocations, sport is a cultural heritage that is passed down from generation to generation. If we have become accustomed to seeing brothers evolve together, or children follow in the footsteps of their parents a few years later, it is on the other hand much rarer to see father and son evolve side by side at the same time, which is more is on the same team.

And yet, this season, the NBA will see a father and a son on the same floor with the same jersey, and not just anyone since it is LeBron James, one of the greatest basketball players of all time, who will play alongside his son Bronny, 20, in the colors of the Lakers. A rare but not unique fact, as these few examples demonstrate.

In August 1990, Key Griffey Sr., 40 years old, and Key Griffey Jr., 20 years old, were reunited in the colors of the Seattle Mariners during a game against the Kansas City Royals. This is the first time in the history of the prestigious American baseball league that a father and son are lined up together, even hitting two hits consecutively. Griffey Sr. and Griffey Jr. played in the same jersey for two seasons, 1990 and 1991. A decade later, they were imitated by another duo, Tim Raines and Tim Raines Jr., in the colors of Baltimore. In a wink of destiny, and proof that their story has marked American sports culture, Griffey father and son were both present at the Crypto.com Arena (formerly Staples Center) for the premiere of LeBron and Bronny James in the NBA.

It’s already rare to be able to play with your son, but Alexei Eremenko did it even better. While he left Russia to pursue his career in Finland, the then 35-year-old player lined up alongside his eldest son, Alexei Eremenko Jr., with whom he played for two seasons at HJK. Together, they won two championships and a Finnish Cup. In 2003, Eremenko signed with another Finnish club, FF Jaro, where he reunited a year later with… Roman, his younger son, who began his professional career there. The two played together for a season before his father retired.

No, Arnór and Eiður Guðjohnsen have, theoretically, never shared the same pitch at the same time, during a professional match. But the strength of the symbolism is just as valid. In April 1996, while Iceland was playing a friendly match against Estonia, Arnór, 34, then one of the most capped players in the history of the Icelandic selection, gave way to his 17-year-old son, Eiður. The image is strong and the son will do better than follow in his dad’s footsteps: he will end his career with more caps (88 against 73), more goals (26 against 14) and will even participate in a final phase of the Championship of Europe, in 2016. The only regret is not having been able to evolve together. Indeed, a broken leg suffered by the young Eiður some time later kept him away from the field too long for him to return before his father retired.

There is something unique about the relationship between father and son Farrell. The two men were first teammates, in 2008, under the colors of Saracens (even if they never played together at the same time). Andy, then aged 33, finished his career there while Owen, 16, signed his first professional contract. After about a season in the same jersey, Andy stopped his playing career to move to the bench. Then begins a long sequence where the father trains the son, which will be the case at Saracens (2010-2012) then in the England team (2012-2015) where Andy Farrell officiates as assistant. In 2016, he joined the Irish selection, first as assistant then as main coach from 2020. From then on, Andy and Owen crossed paths as adversaries, which was the case on several occasions.

Iconic footballer of the 1990s-2000s in Sweden, Henrik Larsson distinguished himself by notably winning the Champions League with Barcelona in 2006 and the Golden Shoe (2001). The former Celtic man is also a model of longevity since he ended his career at over 38 years old under the colors of Helsingborgs, his training club. But before hanging up for good, Larsson extended the pleasure in the 4th Swedish division, at Högaborgs BK, where his son, Jordan, then aged 15, also played. The two men then played under the same jersey before meeting again some time later at Helsingborgs, with the father as the son’s coach. And obviously without there being any privilege, since the dad will keep the son in the club, while he could participate in the 2016 Olympics with Sweden.

The 1999 Ballon d’Or and 2002 world champion also took a long time before retiring from the field. After a brilliant career in Europe, punctuated by notable stints at Barça and AC Milan, Rivaldo continued to travel the world, offering his services in Greece, Uzbekistan, Angola, before finishing his career in Brazil, in Mogi Mirim, in the 2nd division. It is there that he will accomplish one of his last major challenges in 2014, at the age of 42: that of playing in the same jersey as his son.

A few weeks later, Rivaldo took a well-deserved retirement, probably with a sense of duty accomplished… before finally reconsidering his decision. In February 2015, while they were lined up in the same match, Rivaldo and Rivaldinho each scored a goal, just to make the story even more unique.