LeBron James opened his NBA career on October 29, 2003, scoring 25 points in 42 minutes in a loss to the Sacramento Kings. Sitting on the Kings bench was Jabari Smith, a 6-foot-11 center in his third year who didn’t retire in warm-ups that night.
Nineteen years, two months, and 18 days later, James would be remembered for that game by another Smith, Jabari Smith Jr., a Houston Rockets rookie who is the son of Jabari Smith.
“Hey, you played my dad in your first NBA game,” the rookie told LeBron.
“Why are you doing this to me,” James said with a laugh, to which Smith replied, “You feel old, don’t you?”
Jabari Jr. is not the first son of a former opponent of James to age the legend. The Smiths are the ninth father-son pair LeBron has faced in his illustrious career.
A twist to this exercise, James hopes to become an NBA father-son duo as early as the 2024-25 NBA season, when Bronny becomes eligible to play in the league. The elder James has expressed his desire to play on the same team as Bronny, but recently softened that stance, saying he would be content to play on the same NBA court as his son.
Bronny, currently No. 28 in his category according to ESPN and 247Sports, may not be an obvious candidate, but it’s possible we could see two James donning NBA jerseys in the same game.
Let’s find out which family he had the most individual success against.
A quick note: we only count father-son on this list. Other family pairs, such as uncles-nephews (Horace and Jerami Grant), cousins (Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady) and brothers (the Gasols, Curry and Lopez) were spared this exercise.
9. Rice
- First game against Glen Rice: November 18, 2003
- First game against Glen Rice Jr.: November 3, 2013
A three-time All-Star in the late ’90s, Glen Rice spent his final season in a reserve role with the Clippers, and it was there that he crossed paths with James, who was in his rookie season. . Rice scored three points in six minutes while James led his Cavs to a 103-95 victory with 14 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.
A decade later, James beat Glen Jr. and the Wizards by an almost identical score: 103-93. Younger Rice didn’t play that night, while LeBron scored 25 points, provided five assists and hit three 3s.
Total points for James vs. The Rice Family: 29 (two games)
8. Blacksmiths
- First match against Jabari Smith: October 29, 2003
- First match against Jabari Smith Jr.: January 16, 2023
The most recent of LeBron’s family get-togethers began with the young Smith telling James the story of his father facing the future MVP in his early days. Despite Jabari Jr.’s attempt to make James feel old, LeBron responded with arguably the best game of his 20th season: 48 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in a 140-132 Lakers win. Jabari Jr., 19, scored 14.
In 2003, the 18-year-old LeBron started his career with a 25-point game, adding nine assists in a 106-92 Cavaliers loss. The elder Jabari Smith did not play.
Total points for James vs. Smith Family: 123 (four games)
7. Walkers
- First match against Samaki Walker: April 9, 2004
- First game against Jabari Walker: November 30, 2022
In the final week of his freshman season, James and the Cavs fell to Samaki Walker’s Heat 106-91. Walker, who was the No. 9 pick in the 1996 draft and won a ring with the Lakers in 2002, scored two points in eight minutes off the bench. James had a game-high 24 points with eight assists and seven rebounds.
In November, Jabari and his Blazers fell to James’ Lakers 128-109. Just like his father, Jabari scored two points off the bench, while LeBron had a game-high 31 points, adding eight assists and seven rebounds. Almost identical family rivalry performances 18 years apart.
James Total Points vs. The Walker Family: 139 (six games)
6. The Trents
- First game against Gary Trent: November 21, 2003
- First match against Gary Trent Jr.: December 28, 2019
The elder Trent, who played nine seasons and retired in 2004, only played one season against James. The Trent Timberwolves beat the Cavaliers 97-83 as he scored two runs off the bench. James led Cleveland with 19 points in the loss.
Gary Jr., who plays a much different style than his murderous father, first faced LeBron in his sophomore year. The Lakers beat the Trent Blazers 128-120 as James scored 21 points and had 16 assists. Trent scored three points in eight minutes off the bench.
James Total Points vs. The Trent Family: 199 (eight games)
5. The Griffins
- First match against Adrian Griffin: February 25, 2004
- First game against AJ Griffin: December 30, 2022
James has faced the elder Griffin six times in his career, but in the pair’s first game, Adrian got just 40 seconds of court time and didn’t register a field goal. James, meanwhile, scored 11 goals on a tough shooting night (5 of 18 from the field) as Cleveland fell to Houston 90-84.
Against AJ in 2022, James had a much better game. In a 130-121 Lakers win over the Hawks, LeBron scored 47 points on his 38th birthday, adding 10 rebounds and nine assists. AJ, the No. 16 pick in the 2022 draft, started for Atlanta and scored 13.
Total points for James vs. The Griffin Family: 209 (eight games)
4. The Robinsons
- First game against Glenn Robinson: December 19, 2003
- First match against Glenn Robinson III: March 3, 2020
Against two-time All-Star Glenn “Big Dog” Robinson and the 76ers, 18-year-old LeBron had arguably his best game so far, scoring 36 points and hitting a career-high five 3s. Cleveland defeated Philadelphia 88-81 despite Robinson’s team-high 18 points.
His son, who also played for the 76ers, played his career game against James’ Lakers in 2020. Playing 31 minutes off the bench, he scored a career-high 25 points on 15 shots, edging out James, who in scored 22. The eventual Lakers champion, however, won 120-107, as LeBron provided 14 assists.
Total points for James against the Robinson family: 250 (nine games)
3. The Brunsons
- First match against Rick Brunson: December 20, 2003
- First game against Jalen Brunson: October 31, 2018
In James’ first game against future rivals Chicago, he scored 32 points and provided 10 assists to beat the Rick’s Bulls 95-87. Brunson, then in his seventh season, scored six points in 18 minutes off the bench.
His son Jalen, who entered the NBA after a legendary career at Villanova, faced LeBron for the first time in 2018, his rookie year. James’ Lakers won 114-113 behind his record 29 points, while Brunson scored four points in 11 minutes off the bench.
Total points for James against the Brunson family: 389 (15 games)
2. The Paytons
- First match against Gary Payton: January 12, 2004
- First game against Gary Payton II: October 19, 2021
Of the fathers on this list, Hall of Famer Gary Payton is perhaps the most accomplished. After an illustrious run with Seattle, Payton faced young James in 2004 as a member of the Lakers. With star teammates Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal hobbled, Payton scored a team-high 13 points to lead the Lakers to an 89-79 victory over James’ Cavs. James scored 16 points on a tough shooting night, going 6 of 20 and 0 of 3 of 3.
Against Payton’s son, however, James found much more success. On opening night of the 2021 season, LeBron had 34 points while grabbing 11 rebounds against the younger Payton’s Warriors. While Payton II recorded just seven scoreless seconds in the contest, he would go on to play a vital role in the Warriors’ title chase later that season.
Of any father or son James has faced at least three times, he scored his highest average against Payton II (32.3 ppg in three games) and his second highest average against Payton (31.2 points per game in 13 games).
Total points for James vs. The Payton Family: 502 (16 games)
1. The Martins
- First game against Kenyon Martin: January 2, 2004
- First match against Kenyon Martin Jr.: January 10, 2021
James faced Kenyon Martin in the eldest Martin’s only All-Star season, days after James turned 19. In that 2004 contest, the Martin’s Nets defeated the Cavs largely on his 16 points and 13 rebounds. James had 14 points and nine assists in Cleveland’s 97-82 loss.
Seventeen years later, however, LeBron reversed those results on Kenyon’s son. James had 18 points, seven assists and seven rebounds in the Lakers’ 120-102 win over the Rockets. Martin Jr. played three scoreless minutes on the bench. In the pair’s sixth meeting, LeBron scored 48 points in the same game James played for the first time against Jabari Smith Jr.
With the elder Martin active in LeBron’s first 12 seasons — and having multiple stints in the Eastern Conference — the pair have racked up 15 games against each other, the most of any father or son this list.
Total points for James against the Martin family: 570 (21 games)
(Photo: Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
