ORLANDO, Fla. — To understand the future of men’s college and professional basketball, you have to also understand its past.

That’s because a litany of players whose fathers were NBA standouts are now listed among the top college and pro basketball prospects in the classes of 2025, 2026 and beyond.

That movement began in earnest this year, when Bronny James — the son of legendary NBA star LeBron James — went one-and-done at Southern California before embarking on his own professional basketball career. Bronny was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron’s team, with the No. 55 overall pick in last week’s 2024 NBA draft.

This positions LeBron and Bronny to become the first father-son duo to play in the NBA at the same time, let alone on the same team.

Bronny was considered a top recruit in his own right: He was ranked by the 247Sports Composite as a five-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting class.

And Bronny is just the start for what should be a strong run of top recruits descending from basketball royalty.

In the 2025 recruiting group, this includes Cameron and Cayden Boozer (the twin sons of ex-NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer), Kiyan Anthony (the son of NBA 75th Anniversary team member Carmelo Anthony), Dorian Hayes (the son of former Kentucky star and longtime NBA veteran Chuck Hayes), Jermaine O’Neal Jr. (the son of six-time NBA All-Star Jermaine O’Neal) and Jacob Wilkins (the son of Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins).

In the 2026 recruiting class, this includes players like Alijah Arenas (the son of ex-NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas) and Tajh Ariza (the son of former NBA champion Trevor Ariza).

More will follow in the 2027 recruiting class, and so on.

These prospects can draw on the benefits of having direct family lineage to the NBA, be it the physical tools needed to succeed in the league or the fatherly advice that comes with learning how to handle on-court expectations.

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