Thanksgiving is a holiday about food, and most importantly family. The sports world today is saturated with exceptional families, where several members are pro athletes. Here are five such families, with rankings!
The Williams Sisters, Tennis
Venus and Serena have been dominating tennis for more than a decade. In the early going Venus had a slight edge over her younger sister, although both reached No. 1 in the rankings in 2002. Eventually, Serena’s power game took control and she never looked back.
Venus is one of the greatest women’s tennis players of all-time, with seven Grand Slam titles and 48 singles titles overall. But those triumphs pale in comparison to Serena’s accomplishments.
Serena was three-quarters of the way to a calendar-year Grand Slam in 2015, and has 21 Grand Slam titles to her name. There’s no questioning that Serena is the greatest women’s player ever, but both of these players are extraordinary.
The Jones Brothers: Jon Jones (former UFC champion), Chandler Jones (NFL, Patriots), Arthur Jones (NFL, Colts)
Arthur Jones has recorded 154 tackles and 10 sacks in a solid career for the Ravens and Colts, but his career is already short of the one his younger brother Chandler is putting together in New England. Chandler is one of the NFL’s premier pass rushers, and is one sack away from his career high (11.5) this year, and it’s only Week 12.
Neither are as successful in football as Jon, the middle child. Jon Jones has had some bad press this year related to drug use and an unfortunate hit-and-run that led to his arrest, but before that he was hands down the top fighter pound-for-pound in the UFC. If he keeps on the straight and narrow, there is an excellent chance Jones becomes the greatest mixed martial artist ever. Chandler and Arthur don’t have that chance.
The Gasol Brothers, NBA
The Gasol brothers stand tall above any other siblings in pro sports. These two Spanish 7-footers are still two of the best big men in the NBA, and both anchor title contenders. Pau has had the superior career, which is bolstered by two NBA titles.
Right now though, Marc is the better player. Marc is five years younger, and a much better defensive player than Pau. Marc was once a throw-in to a deal that shipped Pau to the Lakers, and helped them win two titles. The Grizzlies aren’t complaining about their guy though.
The Harbaugh Brothers, NFL/NCAA Football
These guys are such good coaches, that they coached against each other in Super Bowl XLVII. At the time Jim was coaching the 49ers, while John coached the Ravens. Jim, who came to the 49ers from Stanford, immediately transformed San Francisco into a defensive terror, and helped Colin Kaepernick become a sensation at quarterback. Seeing as how he’s since been benched for Blaine Gabbert, that’s tough to go with John.
But, we’re going with John. His Ravens defeated Jim’s Niners in that Super Bowl, and he’s still in the NFL. His Ravens are taking it on the chin in 2015, but bad seasons happen. He is secure and lined up for a phenomenal draft pick. Jim grated on his front office, and is now coaching the Michigan Wolverines, who are currently 9-2 at No. 12 in the country headed into their showdown with Ohio State on Saturday.
We’ll revisit when he wins the College Football Playoff, but until now John gets the nod.
Honorable Mentions
The Upton Brothers, MLB: Melvn Jr. (Braves), Justin (Free Agent)
The McCourty Twins, NFL: Devin (Patriots), Jason (Titans)
The Davis Brothers, NFL: Vernon (Broncos), Vontae (Colts)
The Staal Brothers, NHL: Eric (Hurricanes), Marc (Rangers), Jordan (Hurricanes), Jared (Stingrays, formerly with Hurricanes)
The Lopez Twins, NBA: Brook (Nets), Robin (Knicks)
The Manning Brothers
Peyton Manning is arguably the best quarterback in NFL history, and inarguably the better quarterback over the entirety of his career than his younger brother Eli. Peyton’s 2015 season with the Broncos has been an eyesore, however. He’s thrown nine touchdowns vs. 17 picks, been benched for Brock Osweiler, and is dealing with a torn plantar fascia.
Eli is leading the first-place Giants, has two Super Bowl wins, and MVPs, to his name, and is making sweet music with Odell Beckham Jr. Eli has the edge in 2015.
For more content, follow us on Twitter @SportsWN or LIKE US on Facebook
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
