The Other Brother Experiment

     I just love Ball Don't Lie , the Yahoo! basketball blog.  They recently posted one of the funniest things I've read in months, jokingly describing that the Phoenix Suns have an, "Other Brother Experiment."  I didn't get it at first, but then I realized that the among the players listed in the Suns roster are Robin Lopez, Taylor Griffin and Jarron Collins, all players with more accomplished or famous brothers in the same sport.  Now, while I found the blog comment funny, my heart does go out to the world's numerous "Other Brothers," since I am an "Other Brother," myself.  That's why I thought it would be nice to mention other "Other Brothers" in sports.  Those athletes who never could make it unlike their more illustrious brothers.

Harvey Grant - Horace Grant is known for his tremendous work ethic, defense and rebounding and these talents made him a vital cog in the Chicago Bull's first "Three peat" run with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Then, he went ahead and won another championship as a veteran off the bench for Shaq and Kobe's L.A. Lakers.  Unfortunately, that level of enviable success did not run in the family as Horace's twin brother Harvey.  While Harvey was a an NBA player himself, his level of success certainly pales in comparison.  Harvey had a 5-year NBA career with the Portland Trail Blazers, Washington Bullets and the Philadelphia 76ers, averaging 9.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists, numbers that aren't that bad, until you realize that in Horace's 17 year career, he was not only an NBA All Defensive Second Team four times, but also an NBA All Star, playing in the annual event  in 1994. Hey, at least when I used Harvey Grant in NBA Jam, he could make three pointers.  That's always a plus, right?

Carl Chang - When the Chang family moved to the United States, tennis would be their family's source of pride and success.  Michael Chang became one of the United States' greatest players, becoming the youngest man to win a French Open title (1989), emerging as finalist in the 1995 French Open, 1996 Australian Open and 1996 U.S. Open and achieving the World number 2 ranking in 1996.  Unfortunately, older brother Carl, himself a tennis player (he earned a scholarship to play for the University of California, Berkeley), never attained that level of success in his short stint as a tennis professional.  Give him credit, though, as Carl became Michael's full-time coach and later on, Coach of the Year (1996).

Bobby Pacquiao - Currently the planet's best boxer, Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao has recently said that there is nothing he has not achieved in boxing and he is right.  The only man in history to win seven world titles in seven different weight classes, Pacquiao has also become the world's favorite boxer by virtue of his spectacular knockout wins and fast and furious fighting style.  That's all well and good, but that's also tough on Bobby Pacquiao, the younger brother of the Philippines' National Fist.  "The Sniper" was given a lot of chances at stardom in the Unites States, but boxing seems to be better left for kuya Manny.  Bobby compiled only a so-so record of 29 wins, 15 losses and 3 draws with 14 wins by KO.  The worst part for Bobby is not the fact that he never even competed for a world title, but that his career is more known for missed weights and a disqualification for headbutts after at least 10 warnings.  Perhaps it's best that he now just accompanies Manny instead of fighting like him.


photos courtesy of nba.com, diamondboxing.com and itftennis.com