Duke star Cameron Boozer has been one of the headline acts of March Madness 2026, but he and his brother Cayden aren’t the only sons of former NBA players taking part in the tournament. There are, in fact, a fair few of them, and here we take a look at those youngsters who are hoping to make their mark and head to the NBA, as their fathers once did.
Cameron And Cayden Boozer
Fraternal twins Cameron and Cayden are the most popular ones, of course. Their father, Carlos Boozer, had also attended Duke, and he went on to have an impressive 13-year NBA career. Carlos made two All-Star teams in 2007 and 2008 and even received some MVP votes in those years.
It’s not often that a player of this caliber has a son who could be better than them, but that might turn out to be the case here. Cameron is widely expected to be a top-three pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. The 18-year-old is averaging 22.4 points, 10.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game for the Blue Devils in 2025-26.
Cameron had 22 points (4-11 FG) and 13 rebounds in No. 1 Duke’s 71-65 win over No. 16 Siena in the Round of 64. He struggled with efficiency, but then made amends against No. 9 TCU in the Round of 32. Cameron recorded 19 points (7-10 FG) and 11 rebounds as Duke won 81-58 to advance to the Sweet 16, where they’ll take on No. 5 St. John’s.
As for Cayden, he had 19 points (9-16 FG) and five assists against Siena and was arguably Duke’s best player. He then followed that up with nine points (3-6 FG) and five assists against TCU. While Cameron is almost certainly heading to the NBA after the tournament, it’s unclear what route Cayden will take.
Andrej Stojakovic
This is Andrej Stojakovic’s third season in college, and following multiple transfers, he’s finally getting to play in the NCAA tournament with No. 3 Illinois. Stojakovic is the son of Peja Stojakovic, who made three All-Star teams in 13 seasons in the NBA. Peja didn’t go to college in the States, but his son is getting the full experience.
Andrej suited up for Stanford and California in 2023-24 and 2024-25, respectively, before heading to Illinois. His tournament debut for the Fighting Illini against No. 14 Pennsylvania wasn’t anything to write home about, though, as he recorded nine points (3-8 FG) and three rebounds.
Andrej would fare much better in his second outing, recording 21 points (7-12 FG) and four rebounds to lead Illinois to a 76-55 win over No. 11 VCU. They’ll now take on No. 2 Houston in the Sweet 16.
Gicarri Harris
Like Cameron and Cayden, Gicarri Harris chose to go to college where his father once did. Gicarri’s father, Glenn Robinson, starred for Purdue in the early 1990s and then had an 11-year NBA career during which he made two All-Star teams.
Unlike his father, Gicarri has been a bench player for the Boilermakers. He went scoreless from the bench in No. 2 Purdue’s 104-71 win over No. 15 Queens in the Round of 64, but then had five points in the 79-69 win over No. 7 Miami (FL) in the Round of 32. They’ll take on No. 11 Texas next, with a spot in the Elite Eight on the line.
DJ Wagner
DJ Wagner is the son of Dajuan Wagner, who could have potentially gone on to achieve great things in the NBA. Dajuan was the sixth pick in the 2002 NBA Draft, but was hampered by injuries and ulcerative colitis, which ensured he’d never fulfill his potential. While he only played four seasons in the NBA, it seemed a given that his son would be around for a lot longer.
DJ was the consensus No. 1 player of the class of 2023 at one point and seemed set for stardom. His stock has dropped significantly since then, but he remains a solid player for No. 4 Arkansas. DJ had seven points (2-4 FG) and four assists for the Razorbacks in the 97-78 win over No. 13 Hawaii. He followed that up with two points (1-2 FG) and four assists as they got past No. 12 High Point 94-88 in the Round of 32.
Standing between Arkansas and the Elite Eight right now is No. 1 Arizona.
While Cameron, Cayden, Andrej, Gicarri, and DJ still have hopes of winning it all, there are other sons of former NBA players who have seen those dreams shattered already. Let’s take a look at them, too, shall we?
Jake Wilkins
Jake Wilkins is another who followed in his father’s footsteps. He is the son of Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins, who has gone down as the greatest basketball player in the history of the Georgia Bulldogs. Dominique would live up to all the hype when he went pro, as he won a scoring title and made seven All-Star teams.
As for Jacob, he had to settle for a bench role in his freshman year with the Bulldogs, in which he averaged 4.9 points, 1.8 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game. The campaign ended a lot sooner than he’d have hoped, though. No. 9 St. Louis blew out No. 8 Georgia 102-77 in the Round of 64. Jacob had five points (1-3 FG) and three rebounds in the loss.
Jermaine O’Neal Jr.
There are no prizes for guessing who Jermaine O’Neal Jr.’s father is. Jermaine O’Neal Sr. headed to the NBA straight out of high school and made six All-Star teams in 18 seasons. He also won Most Improved Player in 2002 and finished third in MVP voting in 2004.
The younger O’Neal might not hit those heights. He’d only start twice as a freshman for Southern Methodist University (SMU) and averaged 4.5 points, 2.0 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game. They had to navigate through the NCAA First Four, the play-in round, if they were to advance to the Round of 64, but failed to do so. SMU lost 89-79 to Miami (OH), with Jermaine posting zeroes across the board.
DJ Armstrong Jr.
Lastly, we get to DJ Armstrong Jr. DJ is the son of Darrell Armstrong, who spent 14 seasons in the NBA. Darrell is notably the first player in NBA history to win Sixth Man of the Year and Most Improved Player in the same season, doing so in 1998-99.
His son, DJ, wasn’t coming off the bench for the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) in 2025-26, though, starting all 33 games for them as a freshman. He put up 13.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game in 2025-26.
Like SMU, UMBC had to go through the First Four, but failed to do so. They lost 86-83 to Howard, with DJ putting up 17 points (5-11 FG) and six rebounds.
