When the Cal Golden Bears begin the 2024 college basketball season next week, two very familiar last names will take the court alongside each other. The sons of former NBA greats Peja Stojakovic and Stephon Marbury were added to the roster over the summer!
It is the most nostalgic team in the country and anyone who watched professional hoops in the early 2000s will feel very old watching them play.
Andrej Stojakovic, the eldest child of Peja, was a consensus four-star recruit in the Class of 2023 as one of the top-five players at his position. He committed to Stanford over 21 other offers from schools like Texas, Kentucky, Tennessee and Indiana. The Cardinal was not very good last season and fired head coach Jerod Haase after the season. Most of the team hit the transfer portal, including Stojakovic.
He ultimately transferred to his former school’s biggest rival and will play his sophomore year at Cal.
His father played 15 years in the NBA with the Kings, Pacers, Hornets, Raptors and Mavericks. Peja was a first-round pick in 1996 who reached three All-Star games and won a title in 2011.
Stephon Marbury II, son of Stephon Sr., turned down a few mid-major scholarship offers to join the Cal program as a preferred walk-on. He plays a lot like his dad: quick, strong and aggressive on defense.
Stephon Marbury Sr. was also a first-round pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, 10 picks ahead of Stojakovic, and played 14 years in the league. The New York-native became something of a cult hero with the Knicks.
Marbury Sr. started training Marbury Jr. at two years old!
All of the hard work paid off!
The sons of Peja Stojakovic and Stephon Marbury are playing Division I college basketball. It just so happens to be together at Cal, creating the most nostalgic team in the country!