Where are they Now: The O’Bannon Brothers
Ed and Charles O’Bannon of UCLA were one of the first basketball brother combinations to hit the national scene. Ed was the older of the two and the more seasoned athlete. He meant business on the court and was more of a leader than his brother. Charles, the younger brother, was a freakish athlete who could jump out the gym. He loved to entertain the crowd and his showmanship electrified gymnasiums that they played in. They terrorized the PAC 10 Conference in their day and made a great run in 1995 for a national championship.
Tbe O’Bannon Brothers won the NCAA national championship in 1995. What a great feeling to win with your brother. Photo Sportsworldnews.com
Ed O’Bannon was the better player of the two and played his heart out at UCLA. He had earned numerous accolades during his collegiate years, including being named to the PAC-10 all conference team. In the 1995 National Championship game, O’Bannon was the key, scoring 30 points and pulling down 17 rebounds. He was undoubtedly named the tournaments Most Outstanding Player. He would eventually get a shot to live his dream of playing in the NBA. He was selected by the New Jersey Nets with the 9th pick in the 1995 NBA Draft. He only got to play for two seasons before taking his talents overseas to Europe to continue is basketball career.
Ed O’Bannon was selected by the NJ Nets with the 9th pick in the 1995 NBA draft. Photo si.com
After his older brother left for the professional ranks, Charles O’Bannon picked up where he left off. He was a PAC-10 all conference first team member 1996 and 1997, and was voted as co-MVP on those both those teams. He, like his older brother, also lived the dream of making it to the NBA. He was selected by the Detroit Pistons with the 3rd pick in the 2nd round of the 1997 NBA draft. He was on the roster for about two years and was ultimately released by the Pistons. He continued his career overseas playing ball in Italy, Poland, and Japan. In 2013 he called it quits and ended his basketball career.
Charles O’Bannon took his talents overseas for a number of years. Photo Wikipedia
Ed O’Bannon later was employed as a car salesman and later marketing director for a Las Vegas auto dealership. People would recognize him and remember his glory days at UCLA playing basketball, but that didn’t stop Ed from going to work everyday and doing what he had to do for his family. When he got drafted people were looking to him as a savior of the Nets Franchise. He lacked the confidence it took to be that kind of player. He didn’t think had the physical gifts it took to turn a whole franchise around.
I didn’t have a whole lot of confidence catching the ball on the wing. The bottom line is I lost confidence. He told the NY Daily News.
He later took a head coaching job at Henderson International School (High School) because of his children’s increased interest in basketball.
From getting buckets to selling cars. Different fields of work but the hustle is something you need in both. Photo NYDailyNews.com
Ed O’Bannon made headlines across the country when he filled an antitrust class action lawsuit against the NCAA. The suit was on behalf of all Division I football and basketball players who’s likeness was being used in video games specifically. The suit argued that upon graduation, a student athlete should be compensated for their likeness being sold. In 2011, Oscar Robertson, who many consider one of the greatest basketball players ever, joined O’Bannon in the lawsuit. In 2014 a judge ruled that the NCAA not issuing payments to players who were no longer students violated anti-trust laws.
Charles O’Bannon Jr. is the next one in the family with the basketball gene. Photo USA Today
Ed O’Bannon currently lives in Henderson, Nevada with his wife and their three children. He currently works at Findlay Toyota and is doing great. Charles O’Bannon is in the Las Vegas area enjoying life and watching his son, Charles O’Bannon Jr. has some of the success his father had growing up a basketball prodigy. He was a McDonald’s All American and currently is a student athlete on the rival USC Trojans basketball team. The O’Bannon brothers will go down as one of the best brother tandems to play college basketball. They entertained crowds across the country and won a national championship in the process. Salute.
Cover Photo courtesy of Fortune.com
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