Since the 2008-9 season, the Suns’ bench has included an unusual number of players with brothers in the N.B.A., including Robin Lopez, a twin of the Nets’ All-Star Brook Lopez; Jarron Collins, a twin of Jason Collins of the Washington Wizards; Taylor Griffin, the older brother of the All-Star forward Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers; and Luke Zeller, the eldest of three basketball-playing brothers who include Tyler (Cleveland Cavaliers) and Cody (Indiana University).
Unfortunately for the Suns, recent Phoenix teams have mostly fielded the lesser known and lesser accomplished brother. Not every sports franchise and family can emulate the football-playing Mannings, with two sons — quarterbacks Eli and Peyton — who have taken confetti showers while celebrating victories in the Super Bowl.
“If there was a strategy, we should have gone with the better brother each time instead of the worse brother,” Steve Kerr, a former Suns general manager, said with a laugh. “It’s just total coincidence. More than anything, it’s a sign of how good the Suns have been over the years. They were never in position to draft the more accomplished brother.”
In the case of Taylor Griffin and the undrafted Luke Zeller, neither of whom are currently in the N.B.A., their lack of success may have had as much to do with birth order as draft order.