duncan228
06-02-2009, 10:58 PM
Younger Walton takes third shot at father-son champion club (http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/2009-06-02-walton_N.htm)
By Chris Tomasson
Matt Guokas wouldn't mind seeing Los Angeles Lakers forward Luke Walton win an NBA title and join him as an answer to a trivia question.
Just not this year.
"Not at all," Guokas said. "But somewhere down the line, I'd love to see him win one."
Guokas is a television analyst for the Orlando Magic, who open the NBA Finals against Walton's Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.
Guokas, following in the footsteps of his father, won an NBA ring as a Philadelphia 76ers rookie. Matt Guokas Sr. played — sparingly — for the victorious 1947 Philadelphia Warriors.
The first father and son to win NBA titles were a solo act until 2005, when Brent Barry won a crown with the San Antonio Spurs. Barry, who also got a Spurs ring in 2007, is the son of Hall of Famer Rick Barry, a 1975 titlist with the Golden State Warriors.
Walton, in his third Finals after Lakers losses in 2004 and 2008, hopes to become part of the third father-son pairing. Hall of Famer Bill won NBA titles with the Portland Trail Blazers in 1977 and with the Boston Celtics in 1986.
Walton would like to silence his dad at least somewhat. His dad has been known to remind him about his NBA titles and two NCAA crowns at UCLA.
"The one thing I need is to get at least one NBA championship so I have a little more ammo when we sit down at the table," said Walton, who tells his father he has a California high school state title. His dad counters there was no state tournament in his day.
The elder Walton, who declined to be interviewed, probably will view the Finals on TV. He had vertebrae fused in surgery in February.
"All he can do is lie around the house," his son said. "We've probably talked more on the phone than ever."
If Walton won, his family would enjoy what few have known. "Just being there and seeing him experience the same thing I did was very special," Rick Barry said of watching his son win his first title.
He was Guokas Jr.'s roommate at the University of Miami in 1962-63 before the latter transferred to Saint Joseph's.
Guokas Jr. played 10 NBA seasons, and his 76ers defeated Rick Barry's San Francisco Warriors for the 1967 title.
Barry, who also played 10 seasons, says his family has the "modern-day" accomplishment and the Guokases deserve an asterisk because the elder won in the Basketball Association of America, which in 1949 became part of the NBA.
Guokas Jr., though, notes those Philadelphia Warriors are recognized by the NBA as the first champions.
His father played one pro season before his career ended after he lost a leg in a car crash.
"It was a tragedy and, obviously, changed his life," Guokas Jr. said of his father, who died in 1993.
"But he went on to become a play-by-play announcer for the Philadelphia Warriors. ... And he was the Philadelphia Eagles public-address announcer."
Walton would love to call home on Father's Day with a ring on his finger. "Having grown up around NBA championships and NBA players, it'd mean everything," he said.
By Chris Tomasson
Matt Guokas wouldn't mind seeing Los Angeles Lakers forward Luke Walton win an NBA title and join him as an answer to a trivia question.
Just not this year.
"Not at all," Guokas said. "But somewhere down the line, I'd love to see him win one."
Guokas is a television analyst for the Orlando Magic, who open the NBA Finals against Walton's Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.
Guokas, following in the footsteps of his father, won an NBA ring as a Philadelphia 76ers rookie. Matt Guokas Sr. played — sparingly — for the victorious 1947 Philadelphia Warriors.
The first father and son to win NBA titles were a solo act until 2005, when Brent Barry won a crown with the San Antonio Spurs. Barry, who also got a Spurs ring in 2007, is the son of Hall of Famer Rick Barry, a 1975 titlist with the Golden State Warriors.
Walton, in his third Finals after Lakers losses in 2004 and 2008, hopes to become part of the third father-son pairing. Hall of Famer Bill won NBA titles with the Portland Trail Blazers in 1977 and with the Boston Celtics in 1986.
Walton would like to silence his dad at least somewhat. His dad has been known to remind him about his NBA titles and two NCAA crowns at UCLA.
"The one thing I need is to get at least one NBA championship so I have a little more ammo when we sit down at the table," said Walton, who tells his father he has a California high school state title. His dad counters there was no state tournament in his day.
The elder Walton, who declined to be interviewed, probably will view the Finals on TV. He had vertebrae fused in surgery in February.
"All he can do is lie around the house," his son said. "We've probably talked more on the phone than ever."
If Walton won, his family would enjoy what few have known. "Just being there and seeing him experience the same thing I did was very special," Rick Barry said of watching his son win his first title.
He was Guokas Jr.'s roommate at the University of Miami in 1962-63 before the latter transferred to Saint Joseph's.
Guokas Jr. played 10 NBA seasons, and his 76ers defeated Rick Barry's San Francisco Warriors for the 1967 title.
Barry, who also played 10 seasons, says his family has the "modern-day" accomplishment and the Guokases deserve an asterisk because the elder won in the Basketball Association of America, which in 1949 became part of the NBA.
Guokas Jr., though, notes those Philadelphia Warriors are recognized by the NBA as the first champions.
His father played one pro season before his career ended after he lost a leg in a car crash.
"It was a tragedy and, obviously, changed his life," Guokas Jr. said of his father, who died in 1993.
"But he went on to become a play-by-play announcer for the Philadelphia Warriors. ... And he was the Philadelphia Eagles public-address announcer."
Walton would love to call home on Father's Day with a ring on his finger. "Having grown up around NBA championships and NBA players, it'd mean everything," he said.