WESLEY Matthews Sr. says Jr was “anointed by basketball gods” when he was born, and now father and son have a shot at making NBA history.
Sr., champion with the Lakers in 1986 and 1987, is excited to see Jr see action for the titleholders.
Undrafted from the 2009 pool, the Lakers will be the seventh team for Jr since suiting up for Utah Jazz in 2009.
The Lakers acquired Jr. after trading Danny Green, giving the 11-year veteran a great chance to join his father as NBA champion.
No father and son have won NBA titles with the same team — Rick Barry won in 1975 with the Golden State Warriors, while son Brent Barry won titles with the San Antonio Spurs.
“As a father I’m happy as hell. … He deserves this ride right now he’s about to go on. He’s with my old family because once a Laker, always a Laker. I’ll probably end up crying when I see him with the uniform on,” said Sr.
Sr. believes it was destiny that brought Jr, born on Oct. 14, 1986 — the day he signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1986, to his old team.
“He wasn’t even 24 hours old (and) he was blessed by the basketball gods,” Wes Matthews said in an interview with Bill Oram of The Athletic.
“Magic was holding him. Kareem is holding him. Pat Riley is holding him, welcoming him to the world. It’s unbelievable. He was anointed by basketball gods at the time basketball was at its best.”
After the run with the Lakers, Sr played in the CBA and had a stint in Italy before a short return to the NBA with the Atlanta Hawks, and his journey after that brought him to the PBA with fan favorite Ginebra San Miguel.
Jr grew up under the guidance of his mother Pam, but said he is working on the relationship with his father.
“We are very much closer than we were (when I was) growing up, and as I’ve gotten older and older, our relationship has continued to grow and it’s something that I’m very proud of,” Jr said.
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