History of father-son duos in sports: LeBron, Bronny James set to join Griffeys, others in exclusive club | Sporting News

Dan Treacy

For LeBron James, who has accomplished just about everything there is to accomplish as an NBA player, the mission will be complete on Tuesday night.

James is expected to share the floor with his son, Bronny, making the pair the first father-son duo in NBA history to play together.

The experiment might not last long, as James isn't expected to be part of the Lakers' rotation this season and might spend the bulk of the year in the G League. Still, as Bronny's development gets underway and his father's career inches closer to the end, their time on the court together will be a monumental moment for basketball.

They might be the first to achieve the feat in the NBA, but other sports have already seen father-son crossovers. Here's a look at the father-son duos who played together in a major American professional sports league.

SN's NBA HQ: Live NBA scores | Updated NBA standings | Full NBA schedule

Plenty of father-son duos have played at separate times, from the NFL's Manning family to the NHL's Hull family. Only a select few have actually overlapped:

Ken Griffey Sr. joined his son, Ken Griffey Jr., with the Seattle Mariners in 1990. The younger Griffey was called-up in 1989 and earned his first All-Star selection in 1990 before his father was released by the Reds and chose to make a bit of MLB history by signing with the Mariners.

The Griffeys played 51 games together over two seasons, and they made their duo particularly memorable when they hit back-to-back home runs on Sept. 14, 1990.

Father and son combined for 782 career home runs, 630 of which came off the bat of the younger Griffey. Griffey Jr. was a first-ballot Hall of Famer by the time his career was done, and only injuries prevented him from at least competing for the all-time home run record.

MORE: Details on when Ken Griffey Jr. played alongside his dad

NHL legend Gordie Howe played parts of five decades in the league, so it's only natural he got the chance to take the ice with his sons, Mark and Marty.

Their time together came during the 1979-80 season with the Hartford Whalers when the elder Howe was 52 — yes, 52. Gordie posted 41 points on 15 goals and 26 assists over a full 80 games, while Mark was the Whalers' top defenseman with 80 points on 24 goals and 56 assists.

Marty appeared in only six games, but he played alongside his father and brother in the World Hockey Association in the years leading up to the Whalers' transition to the NHL.

Ironically, Bobby Hull played nine games with the Whalers in the same season as his career neared an end. He and his son, Brett, both became Hockey Hall of Famers.

Baseball Hall of Famer Tim Raines played four games with his son, Tim Raines Jr., as members of the Orioles in 2001.

The elder Raines appeared in four different decades as a major leaguer, and his brief reunion with his son in Baltimore was intentional. The Expos traded Raines Sr. to the Orioles at the very end of the season, allowing the pair to suit up together.

Raines Jr. played 75 MLB games, all with the Orioles. He hit .213 with a .544 OPS and would spend his final five professional seasons in the minor leagues with five different organizations.

Interestingly, Raines Jr. never hit an MLB home run while his father hit one in his four-game stint with the Orioles.

MORE: LeBron James, Chris Paul headline list of oldest NBA players

Bronny James is expected to play alongside his father in the Lakers' season opener against the Timberwolves on Tuesday, marking a first in NBA history.

Bronny was selected No. 55 overall in June's NBA Draft, following a rocky freshman season at USC. A highly-touted recruit out of high school, Bronny is more of a developmental project at this point and likely won't see an NBA floor much at all this season after Tuesday's opener.

The Lakers' hope is to develop Bronny into a long-term role player as he looks to round out his offensive game alongside his sound defensive skillset.

Bronny recently turned 19, while LeBron is set to turn 40 in December.

Dan Treacy is a content producer for Sporting News, joining in 2022 after graduating from Boston University. He founded @allsportsnews on Instagram in 2012 and has written for Lineups and Yardbarker.