Finding Their Way: The Fruit Falls Near the Tree

The son of the greatest icon in basketball history averages just 0.9 points. But you would never guess that by listening to him describe his freshman season at Illinois. "I'm having so much fun," Jeff Jordan said last week. "I'm glad I decided to give this a try."

With no athletic scholarship offer, Michael Jordan's oldest son became Illini as a walk-on. He's averaging just 4.2 minutes per game and has made just three shots all season. At this point, he is just glad to be on the Illini roster.

The refreshing thing is that, at Illinois, no one seems to care. He said his classmates don't sweat him because of his dad or tease him because he can't do a 360-dunk. Instead they're treating him like any other college student, which is what Jeff hoped for in the first place.

Jeff figured his basketball career would end after his final high school game. He averaged 15 points as a senior at Loyola Academy in Highland Park, IL, but without any big-time scholarship offers, he seemed content to give up the sport and enroll at Illinois on an academic s scholarship

Illini coach Bruce Weber said Jeff's biggest weakness is his 3-point shooting, but he praised his midrange game and his ability to slash into the paint. According to Weber, Jeff's most impressive characteristic is the way he conducts himself off the court.

"He's as humble as any kid we have in our program," Weber said. "He's proud to be Michael's son, but at the same time he enjoys being Jeffery Jordan." Dad, Michael was on hand to watch Illinois play Duke in the Maui Invitational in November, but he's yet to attend a game in Champaign because of his duties as the part-owner of the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats.

"He's pretty hands-off," Jeff said. "He only gives me information when I come to him and ask for it.

Other famous former athletes with sons following in their footsteps include Michael Jordan’s sidekick with the NBA Chicago Bulls, Scottie Pippen. His oldest child, Antron Pippen, plays for Collins Hill High School in the Atlanta metro area. Pippen, who grew 6 inches when he got to college, says his son is much better than he was at this stage.

"I get nervous," Antron said. "When my dad's there, I want to do my best, which sometimes makes me press. But I calm down and play my game." Pippen is one of several offspring of professional athletes who play high school basketball in metro Atlanta. Former North Carolina star Charlie Scott's son, Shaun, plays at Lovett; ex-NBA all-star Ralph Sampson has a sophomore 6-foot-10 son, Ralph Jr., at Mt. Pisgah; former NFL back Craig (Ironhead) Heyward's son, Cameron, plays at Peachtree Ridge; Super Bowl MVP Doug Williams' son, Adrian, is a starter at No. 1 Wheeler. Shawn Kemp, Jr., is a ninth-grader at Sprayberry.

"There's satisfaction as a father seeing him play and seeing the love he has for the game," Scottie Pippen said. "I love watching him play. But he's his own person and he has to go through his own life. I understand the pressures he has because I'm his father. People expect a lot out of him. But he has to expect more out of himself."
"That is not as easy as it sounds." said Doug Williams' son, Adrian, who has flourished as a basketball player at Westminster and Wheeler.

Other college sons of former professional athletes include Stephen Curry at Davidson, son former NBA player Dell Curry, Maryland’s D. J. Strawberry, son of former major league star Darryl Strawberry, Georgetown’s Jeremiah Rivers and Patrick Ewing, Jr, sons of Celtics coach and former NBA guard Doc Rivers and former NBA Center Patrick Ewing, respectively.

NBA players include Mike Conley, Jr., whose dad was an Olympic gold medal-winning triple jumper, Joakim Noah, son of former tennis star Yannick, Al Horford and Taurean Green, whose dads played in the NBA.

And how about Georgetown coach John Thompson III, restoring the program to the glory days built by his dad, a former coach at Georgetown and NBA player.

The main challenge of all kids with fathers as former athletes: Finding their way."