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Siblings playing in professional sports are a common thing. Some played as teammates and others as opponents. Some didn’t get to play together, either in the same team or during the same period.
On top of mind, I can think of a few, like Steph and Seth Curry of the NBA. UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is the brother of the NFL’s Chandler Jones. And yes we all know Lonzo, LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball ( Hahaha ). And so on.
But there are siblings who stood out and who currently stand out as the best ever in sports. Here they are:
Tiki and Ronde Barber
Identical twins Atiim Kiambu and Jamael Orondé Barber are more popularly known as Tiki and Ronde Barber, respectively. The Barber twins played college football together at the University of Virginia. They both entered the NFL draft in 1997 with Tiki going 36th overall to the New York Giants and Ronde 66th overall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. When all was said and done, Tiki retired as the Giants’ all-time leading rusher while Ronde played 16 seasons for the Bucs and won a Super Bowl ring there.
Jon, Brent, Drew, and Scooter Barry
NBA Hall of Famer Rick Barry’s sons were all basketball players. Jon, Brent, and Drew were all drafted by NBA teams with Jon and Brent going in the first round. Jon went on to play for a total of 8 NBA teams in an NBA career that lasted from 1992-2006. Brent was Slam Dunk champion in 1996 and won two NBA titles with the San Antonio Spurs in 2005 and 2007. Drew played sparingly in the NBA but had stints in the CBA, Australian NBL and in Poland. Scooter played for Kansas’ 1988 NCAA title team and won a CBA title as a pro. Rick Barry also has another son named Canyon by his third wife Lynn. Canyon plays for the Iowa Wolves of the G League.
Bob and Mike Bryan
Robert Charles and Michael Carl Bryan are identical twins who are the most successful tennis doubles team ever. They won the Olympic bronze in 2008 and the gold in 2012. They have won more doubles games, matches, tournaments and Grand Slam titles than any other men’s pairing in the history of tennis doubles. The twins held the #1 rankings for a total of 438 weeks, the longest ever reign by a doubles team, including 139 consecutive weeks which is also a record. The brothers ended 10 years as world #1 and they competed in a record seven straight grand slam finals from 2005 to 2006. The twins are called “mirror twins” because Bob is left-handed while Mike is left-handed.
Pau and Marc Gasol
Pau Gasol is the most successful Spanish player in the history of the NBA. His younger brother Marc is right there behind him. Pau was the 3rd overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft by Atlanta but he played for the Memphis Grizzlies and was the franchise’s first superstar. Interestingly, he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for three players and the draft rights to his younger brother, Marc. Marc became the foundation of the Grizzlies’ grit and grind era and won Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2013 while Pau went on to win back to back titles with Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles. Later in their careers, they became the first brothers to start against each other in the NBA-All Star game, After Marc’s transfer to Toronto last season, they became the first siblings to win an NBA title The Gasol brothers were also instrumental in Spain’s rise as an international basketball powerhouse.
Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko
There was a time when the heavyweight division was ruled by the Klitschko brothers. From 2004 to 2015, they were the most dominant heavyweight boxers in the planet and the most successful heavyweight champions ever. After the retirement of Lennox Lewis, the Klitschko brothers held the four major heavyweight belts. After his reign as WBO and WBC heavyweight king, Vitali retired in 2013 to pursue a political career. Meanwhile, Wladimir continued to fight and became the 2nd longest reigning heavyweight champions of all-time ( cumulative ) at 4,382 days. Wladimir held the WBA, IBF, IBO, Ring and Lineal titles before he was defeated by Tyson Fury in 2015. Both Klitschko brothers have doctorate degrees in sports science and speak multiple languages.
Peyton and Eli Manning
Ole Miss football legend Archie Manning’s sons Peyton and Eli followed in their great father’s footsteps. Peyton was already a legend even before he put on the Tennessee uniform. In 1998, he was picked #1 overall by the Tennessee Titans but spent his NFL career with the Colts and Broncos while being a 7-time All-Pro first team member. Eli came six years later in 2004 and he too was the #1 overall pick of the NFL draft. Although he was arguably not as good as Peyton, Eli led the Giants to two Super Bowl wins where he was MVP in both games. Peyton would finally earn a title with the Broncos in Super Bowl 50.
Reggie and Cheryl Miller
Cheryl Miller was the best female basketball player during her era. Cheryl led USC to back to back NCAA titles in 1983 and 1984 while being named as NCAA Tournament MVP in both years. Miller would also win gold in the FIBA World Championships of 1983 and the 1984 Olympics. She was so good that some even wondered if she could play in the NBA. Reggie entered the NBA in 1987 and would embark on a Hall of Fame career that saw him become one of the deadliest shooters in the history of the game. Reggie was also one of the NBA’s best clutch shooters with crunch-time renamed to Miller time because of how he dominated.
Maurice and Henri Richard
Maurice “Rocket” Richard was one of hockey’s original superstars. Rocket was the first NHL player to score 50 goals in a single season and the first to reach the 500-goal mark in his career. The 1947 Hart Trophy winner played in a total of 18 NHL seasons and made the All-Star team in 14 years. Henri was 15 years younger and three inches shorter. He was dubbed as the “Pocket Rocket” and played from 1955 to 1975. Henri won a total of 11 Stanley Cup titles, tied with Bill Russell of the NBA for the most titles won by a player in any North American professional sports league. Both brothers are Hall of Famers as well.
Shannon and Sterling Sharpe
Sterling and Shannon Sharpe have the best receiving stats of any brothers who played in the NFL. Sterling was the 7th overall pick in the 1988 draft. He played only seven NFL seasons after his career was cut short by injuries. However, he was All-Pro three times, Pro-Bowl five times and led the NFL in receiving touchdowns two times. Younger brother Shannon was drafted in 1990 and won three Super Bowls with the Green Bay Packers. Shannon redefined the tight end position and retired as the all-time tight-end position leader in catches, yards, and touchdown. Shannon Sharpe was inducted to the Hall of Fame in 2011.
Venus and Serena Williams
The Williams sisters are one of the most popular sports siblings ever. These two professional tennis players have won a combined 30 Grand Slam singles titles. They even played against each other in a total of nine Grand Slam finals. From the 2002 French Open to the 2003 Australian Open, they became the first two players to play in four consecutive Grand Slam Finals. Both of them have been ranked as world #1 either in singles or together as a doubles pair. They won the Olympic doubles three times and each won the singles once in different Olympics. Their total of 4 Olympic golds is the most by any tennis player. As a doubles team, the Williams sisters have won a total of 14 grand slam titles.
