After LeBron James professed his ambition to play alongside his son, many have pondered on how that would be like. Although no father-son duo has played in the NBA so far, sons following in their dad’s footsteps is no new occurrence. While many stars like Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson have surpassed the legacy left behind by their dads, most struggle to find a way around the league.

A player battling to surpass his father’s legacy – his name itself holding the weight of a legacy – it’s no surprise that he has expectations riding on him. One such player, however, notes that although the weight is heavy, one doesn’t have to look farther than one’s dad for pointers, due to their basketball acumen.

A basketballer dad and his tough love

On an appearance on The Big Podcast, host Nischelle Turner posed an interesting question to the legendary guard Gary Payton, asking, “Can you watch your son like a dad, or you are always watching as a hooper?”

To this Payton replied, “I am always watching like a hooper. But you know what? I did adjust to watching like a dad now.” Speaking on the difference, he continued, “The difference is that as a hooper, I am going to think the way I was going to play basketball, how and what I would do. As a parent, I’ll be okay, that’s just my son.” Despite his cordial statement, he did later state, “…but you mad, you still mad.”

Continuing, The Klaw pointed out how his ideologies match with former teammate Shaquille O’Neal, stating, “Shaq be always mad on the TV, he don’t never change his expression, he be bad, he be mean, I am not smiling because he be dunking on somebody, you should have been doing that.” Although tough, Gary surely has no love lost for his son, whose own impressive career surely bears testament to that.

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A new era for basketball sons?

After winning his first chip last season, Gary Payton II has already equaled his dad’s tally for NBA titles won. But Payton Sr. has more than just an NBA title to his name. The Oakland native is a 9-time NBA all-star, and the last shooting guard to win a Defensive Player of the Year accolade.

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With such a high ceiling to reach, Gary Payton II still has a long way to go before truly emulating his dad’s successes. Now aged 31, the 6’2 guard has few years left at the top. Will the fatherly love work its magic? We surely hope so!