Athletic ability is one of many things that can be passed down from generation to generation. For a select group of players set to take the floor during the 2025-26 college basketball season, the concept could not be more true.
From coast to coast, there are college players whose dads made names for themselves as All-Stars in the NBA. As the next generation of players work to carve their own lane, their names, games and physical features often remind fans of those who came before them.
Learn more about some of the more notable sons of NBA stars in college basketball, from the Boozer twins at Duke to Bryce James at Arizona.
Cayden and Cameron Boozer are following in the footsteps of their dad, Carlos, as they begin their college careers at Duke. The fraternal twins are a few inches apart in height and play different positions, but both will be among the best freshmen in the ACC this season.
22 years after Carmelo led the Orange to a national title, Kiyan will suit up for Syracuse. He’s got a lifelong link to the program and will look to help it reach the heights that it did when his dad was on campus.
In the rare case of an active NBA player having a son playing high-level basketball, LeBron’s youngest son will begin his collegiate journey in 2025. Bryce’s first college season comes during his dad’s 23rd in the NBA, a feat in itself.
The son of the sharpshooting Peja, Andrej, has stood out at all stops. He began at Stanford and moved on to California as a sophomore before a pivot to to take his game to the next level at Illinois in 2025.
Ashton Hardaway is back in Memphis, where he began his career before transferring to Saint Mary’s. Not only is he following in his dad’s footsteps, he’ll be playing under his tutelage as Penny has been the Tigers head coach since 2018.
They call him “Baby Highlight”, and he’s taking after his dad, the “Human Highlight Reel” in more ways than one. The son of Dominique, Jake Wilkins will be featured in Athens, Ga., where his dad was an All-American over 40 years prior.
A torn meniscus may keep him sidelined for most or all of the 2025-26 season, but Alijah Arenas is the real deal. It’s evident that he’s gotten some elements of his game from his dad, Gilbert, but it’s important to note that Alijah’s mom played at the Division I level, too.
Jermaine Sr. didn’t need college as he made the preps-to-pros leap in 1996. Nearly 30 years later, Jermaine Jr. is in Dallas, where he’ll take on ACC competition as a member of the SMU Mustangs squad.
He’s not quite as big as Shaquille, but Shaqir O’Neal wears the family name proudly. He’s finishing his career off with the Sacramento State Hornets, a program for which his dad was recently appointed general manager.
Robinson is one of the greatest players in Boilermaker history, and Harris is looking to create his own version of that story. He saw respectable playing time as a freshman and will look to grow into a bigger role as his career evolves.
After graduating from Michigan like his father and former head coach, Juwan, Jace is set to finish things off at Fordham. He’ll play a big role with the Rams, who are going to try to make noise in the Atlantic-10.
Justin Pippen spent Year 1 at Michigan before heading back to his home state to suit up for the Golden Bears. Scottie’s story of rapidly growing in college is no secret, and now Justin will look to evolve physically and improve on the floor to potentially become the third member of the family to make the league.
You don’t have to look long to recognize that Stephon II is Stephon’s son. He didn’t arrive in Berkeley, Calif., with much acclaim, but Stephon II will look to grow into a role as the Golden Bears get acclimated to the ACC.
