When the Boston Celtics clinched their record-breaking 18th title, TD Garden was filled with people celebrating, and the court immediately became covered in confetti. Among the jubilant crowd was Deuce, the CEO of Small Wins, a rising healthy candy company. Deuce, however, isn’t just any CEO — he’s the son of Jayson Tatum, the Celtics’ star player. Seeing Tatum share this special moment with his son underscores a broader trend: the profound impact of fatherhood on some of the NBA’s greatest champions and how highlighting it could help change our broader culture.
As I watched Tatum continue to keep Deuce by his side, it reminded me of other iconic NBA dads: Steph Curry, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. Then I asked myself, “How many dads led NBA teams to a finals victory?” Let’s look at the past decade of dads who did just that:
- 2024 Celtics: Jayson Tatum
- 2023 Denver Nuggets: Nikola Jokic
- 2022 Golden State: Stephen Curry
- 2021 Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo
- 2020 Lakers: LeBron James
- 2019 Toronto Raptors: Kawhi Leonard
- 2018 Golden State: Stephen Curry
- 2017 Golden State: Stephen Curry
- 2016 Cleveland: LeBron James
- 2015 Golden State: Stephen Curry
- 2014 Spurs: Tim Duncan
The list could keep going, too. All of these team leaders are outspoken about how much fatherhood means to them and how much they believe it contributes to their overall success.
These men aren’t perfect, and although I’ve never met them, I’m sure they’d be the first to say that. But as they navigate a life in the limelight, they know that prioritizing other things in life outside of basketball is what will ultimately bring them happiness and achievement.
A quote from Steph Curry summarizes this concept best: “Being a father kind of gives you something more to play for. I think off the court, it just grounds you every day, because no matter if I have a good game, bad game, score 40, score 10, I think my daughter’s going to be happy to see me when I get home, and that kind of makes everything all right. ... So I rarely ever have a bad day, regardless of what happens on the court. It just gives you something more than basketball to kind of play and live for, and it’s pretty special.”
To be clear, I’m not saying that the skills you need as a dad translate to the basketball court. There isn’t much that tangibly translates; no one learns how to shoot like Steph from being a dad. When asked how being a dad has helped him on the court, Nikola Jokic said, “Nah, this cannot help you,” and he’s right. His follow-up answer to that is what this article is all about.
“I knew that even before, that basketball is not (the) main thing in my life and (is) probably never gonna be,” Jokic shared. “And I like it because I have something more at home that is more important than basketball.” After he won his third Most Valuable Player award, he said, “Being a father, that means that you don’t play just for yourself.”
This decade of NBA dads and this year’s Celtics team prove something to our culture. When you realize and prioritize what matters most, success will follow. When you learn to be unselfish, through means such as fatherhood, success will follow.
These NBA leaders are pushing against a narrative that has long been the case. Our society sees about 1 in 4 kids grow up without a dad. There are other staggering statistics that the majority of homeless children, teen suicides and high school dropouts come from fatherless homes.
The societal norms around fatherhood need to be changed, and we have some great examples to lead the way. “Just breaking the mold, that’s all,” LeBron James said in an interview. “I wanted to be a part of the statistics that breaks the mold of fathers running out on their kids. That was something that I obviously went through.”
How do you influence a change on a topic such as fatherhood, something that is deeply rooted in recent history and involves every person? Culturally. It’s something that is done through good examples; positive social media; talking with young men about being responsible, humble and engaged; and educating fathers on what it takes to be present.
Some might point out that not all of these fathers are married or even knew they were going to be fathers initially. What matters, though, is that they are committed, involved and engaged in their children’s lives now, regardless of their past or present situations.
Jayson Tatum was in college, right before he was to be drafted, when he found out he was going to have a child. “I’d be the first to say I wasn’t super thrilled to find out I was going to be a dad, and quickly realized that it was the best thing that ever could have happened to me,” he recently said. “There’s nothing better than being a dad ... It has taught me a sense of responsibility, as well as just making the right decisions.”
Despite losing this year’s finals, Luka Doncic had one of his best seasons yet, and you can trace it back to December of 2023, when Doncic first became a dad. In his game on the day of his daughter’s birth, he had 35 points, 15 assists, two blocks and two steals. After the game, he said, “First of all, it was the happiest day of my life. I got the baby, but then today’s game was a big roller coaster, too,” and continued, “We’re gonna win a lot of games.”
His team did win a lot of games, with their new dad at the helm.
Let me reiterate: Being a dad does not translate to tangible basketball skills. What it does is give men something more to play for, something that’s more motivating in their life than anything else. It’s the “soft” skills that are often lost in sports. You obviously don’t need to be a parent to be successful in basketball, or any sport for that matter, but these men have learned the crucial lesson that focusing your life on what matters most will pay off in the long run.
This applies to every sport, profession and lifestyle. Finding ways to put yourself second to those you love is a very worthwhile investment. Research suggests that fathers are slightly more productive than childless men and that fathers typically have more happiness and meaning in life. Learning and trying to be unselfish is one of the greatest things you can do to be successful and find true joy. For the past decade, NBA champions have done it through fatherhood.
For now, CEO Deuce will celebrate. He’ll get back to his candy company soon. As a society, we can start changing the culture now. Let’s follow this decade of dads and what they’re doing.
Zack Shepherd is a former quarterback at Southern Utah University and the founder of Fatherhood Initiative, a 501c3 nonprofit with a mission of building a culture of fatherhood.