"Amazing athletic genes": Reddit reacts as NBA champion Popeye Jones and Stanley Cup winner son Seth Jones make sports history

The world of sports adores a happy tale, and Reddit just discovered its new favorite. In a viral forum that instantly garnered buzz throughout hockey fandom, fans found an amazing coincidence: Seth Jones, just off a Stanley Cup victory with the Florida Panthers, is Popeye Jones' son, the former NBA player and assistant coach who won an NBA championship with the Denver Nuggets in 2023.

Reddit hails unusual father-son moment as Seth Jones becomes second Jones to win championship

The discussion started when users started posting clips of Seth Jones hoisting the Stanley Cup following the Florida Panthers' six-game win over the Edmonton Oilers. That alone was something to celebrate. But another fact caught fans' attention, not just from the NHL community but also from the NBA world—Seth Jones' father, Popeye Jones, played 11 seasons in the NBA as a journeyman forward. Redditors were left amazed.

"I had no idea Popeye Jones was his dad! Amazing stuff! And amazing athletic genes!" one of them wrote. "The genes are strong," another wrote. The thread went viral not only due to the sensationalism, but due to the fact that such cross-sport, father-son championship pair is very rare, if not unheard of, in high-level North American sports.

“Only person on Florida I’m happy for because of that,” one commenter wrote. It seems Seth and his brother Caleb learned to skate in Colorado as Popeye played for the Nuggets during the late '90s.

The thread says Colorado Avalanche captain Joe Sakic told Popeye to get his son's skates before sticks. That tip made all the difference. Seth Jones, at this point in his career, a mid-career NHL defenseman, is one of the league's most consistent blueliners. His Stanley Cup victory with the Florida Panthers puts a capstone on a truly generational story of success, and Reddit was on hand to connect the dots in real time. Also read: NBA legend Charles Barkley holds grudge against NHL player Seth Jones for strangest reason

A moment Reddit won't forget

In an age where sports fandom happens one post at a time, Reddit brought attention to a multi-generational victory that many overlooked. Amid all the arguments over numbers and legacies, sometimes it's the off-the-beaten-path family ties that unite fans. From courtside to rinkside, the Jones family now occupies a special and memorable space in sports history.