Brack-It

Aug 3 2010 11:12AM

Eight Things. One Undisputed Champ.

BEST NBA SIBLINGS

Round 1
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BROOK AND ROBIN LOPEZ vs. PAU AND MARC GASOL

As the only current pair of brothers who made the cut, this family showdown also pits two sets of bigs against one another. This would certainly make for a great two-on-two game, pitting over 28 feet of basketball player onto a halfcourt. The Lopez twins would have the better motors, but the Gasols have a more varied skillset, not to mention international and overall playing experience. Alas, this is more about accomplishments, impact and notoriety. And the Spaniards with Pau's NBA title, All-Star selections and ROY, their FIBA World Championship and burgeoning game from Marc, beat out the still nascent Central Valley twins.
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BERNARD AND ALBERT KING vs. ANTHONY AND CANDANCE PARKER

OK, we'll admit, Cheryl and Reggie Miller easily best Anthony and Candace Parker, but because Cheryl unfortunately shined during the pre-WNBA days, we had to omit them (sorry Cheryl...). Anthony might be a basketball vagabond, but he's proven to be a reliable shooter everywhere he's gone. During his stint in Israel with Maccabi Tel Aviv, he won five national championships and two Euroleague MVPs; as a starter for the Raptors and Cavs the last four years, he has put up double-digit scoring numbers. Baby sister Candace is merely the face of the WNBA with an MVP on her mantle. And the King boys? You can read about them in the next round as they easily sidestep the Parkers.
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DOMINIQUE AND GERALD WILKINS vs. CHUCK AND WESLEY PERSON

Dominique needs little introduction, but lil bro Gerald (Minnesota Timberwolves' Damien Wilkins calls Nique "Uncle" and sends a father's day card to Gerald) carved out a decent 13-year career that saw 13-ppg and almost-as-impressive-as-big-bro dunking acumen. In terms of raw athletic ability or a dunk contest, the Wilkins' have everyone on this page beat, bar none. That said, if it were a three-point shooting contest, the Persons would own the field. Older Chuck was known as the Rifleman and never saw a jumpshot he didn't like, but connected with enough regularity to make good on the moniker. Seven years Chuck's junior, Wesley inherited the same family genes, making good on 42 percent of his career threes. Combined, the Persons have made 2,370 triples. Still, the Wilkinses were mainstays of some competitive teams in the '80s/'90s and anchored by Dominique, they turn Chuck and Wesley into a missing "persons" report.
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DICK AND TOM VAN ARSDALE vs. HORACE AND HARVEY GRANT

Recent fans might be more familiar with the Grants, especially Horace and his trademark goggles, but just look up the Van Arsdales and you'll find that twin brothers Dick and Tom both had-naturally-identical careers: Manual High School, Indiana University, 12 NBA years of eerily similar scoring, rebound and assist averages. The Grant twins' careers were more disproportionate. Harvey had a solid 11-year NBA run with nearly 10 ppg. Horace copped four rings as the third banana to the early '90s Bulls threepeat and one with the Lakers in '01. That said, we think the Van Arsdales are arguably the greatest set of twins to lace 'em up in the L.
Round 2
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KINGS vs. GASOLS

We rudely dismissed the Parkers in the previous round because there is no way they hold a candle to the Kings. Bernard, in this writer's opinion, deserved to be on the NBA's Top 50 team, but was snubbed. King's signature turnaround J is only second to Kareem's skyhook as the most automatic and unstoppable shot in NBA history. He stood only 6-7, but between his ability to physically battle you on the block, determination (dude came back from a torn ACL in the pre-microfracture surgery days when the injury meant ended careers), a bit of a mean streak (the man played with a sneer that intimidated me even when I watched him on TV) and of course, a feathery touch, he was nearly unstoppable at times. Kid brother Albert was supposed to be even better, heavily hyped and recruited as a NYC playground legend, featured in the classic basketball tome, Heaven is a Playground and gracing the cover of SI, all before he even played his first NBA game. Things didn't pan out as expected for Albert as a pro, but he managed a nine-year NBA run of 12.1 ppg. Injuries and failed expectations might have robbed the Kings of more greatness, but even as is, the two inspired a legion of NYC kids to take to the courts to shoot basketballs off metal backboards and chain-link nets. The Gasols still have time on their side to overtake any one on this list in terms of scoring and rings. Pau is in the prime of his career at 30 and not looking to slow down any time soon. The dude who used to get his hand-me-downs is only 25 and already talked up as one of the best young pivots in the game on a Grizzlies team that is making headway into a contender. The Gasol boys from Barcelona have a shot at one day overtaking everyone on this list, but for now, the Kings still wear the crown.
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WILKINSES vs. VAN ARSDALES

This was not an easy pick. On one hand you have a pair of brothers who mirrored each other on the court as much as they did their DNA (yes, they both wore #5 for most of their careers). No average Tom and Dick, the Van Arsdales totaled 29,311 points, which is good for second of the siblings on these two pages and of any duo, they are the most evenly split down the middle, neither one outshining the other. Plus, they're twins. The Wilkins brothers were a bit like the other famous brothers in Nintendo. Gerald (Luigi) was no slouch, scoring 11,736 points all told, but it was all about Dominique (Mario). Nique collected more 1Ups...um, I mean points, 26,668 to be exact. He squared off against Larry Bird in legendary playoff games and oohed and aahed with every windmill dunk. It mightÕve been a bit one-sided, but the parents of the Wilkins boys should be every bit proud to have two sons amass a NBA-sibling-record 38,404 points (not to mention a grandson who's still adding to the Wilkins' NBA family tree). The Wilkins to the finals.
Round 3 Finals
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KINGS vs. WILKINSES

If these two sets of brothers ever did meet up for a pickup game in their respective primes, the pressure is on the scorekeeper to keep up. Between the two older brothers you had over 46,000 points. The Human Highlight Film was physically more gifted, able to jump over and run loops around B-King; Bernard possessed the better basketball game, especially his go-to turnaround J. Both housed a desire to compete and be the best. The undercard of baby brothers is a study in contrast. Albert King was the can't-miss guard out of NYC who was supposed to wow and combine with Bernard to make good on their last name in the NBA; Gerald Wilkins was a second-round pick who's greatest notoriety was being Dominique's little brother. As it turns out, Albert's game never quite caught up to his hype and Gerald exceeded anyone's expectations with a solid run where he was equal parts offense and defense. As they almost always are, this was a close call. Had it not been for an ACL tear that robbed Bernard of some years and explosiveness and Albert not reaching his potential (or the overhype that doomed him for failure), we would go with the Kings. But this one goes to Dominique and Gerald Wilkins.
Best NBA Siblings
Winner: DOMINIQUE AND GERALD WILKINS