Amen and Ausar Thompson: 20-year-olds become the 7th pair of twins to play in the NBA

Amen and Ausar Thompson are now the seventh pair of twins to play in the NBA but who were the previous six and how did they fare?

Amen and Ausar Thompson are now officially the seventh pair of twins to make it to the NBA after being selected by the Detroit Pistons in the 2023 NBA draft.

The 20-year-olds were both lottery picks as Amen Thompson was selected fourth overall by the Houston Rockets while his twin, Ausar was selected immediately after by Detroit Pistons with the fifth overall pick.

They also became the first pair of brothers to ever get drafted in the top five and the top ten by extension in what was certainly a proud night for the Thompson family.

The identical twins from San Leandro, California skipped their senior years in high school to play in the Overtime Elite program in Atlanta, both representing the City Reapers as they prepared for the NBA in the last two years.

Their dream has now finally been achieved, they have made it to the NBA and although most people are intrigued by the fact that they are twins, this is not unique to them.

Before Amen and Ausar, there have been six pairs of twins in NBA history, but who are they and how did they all fare? Well, that is precisely what this article is about.

Every pair of twins to play in the NBA

Here are all six pairs of twins to ever play in the NBA before Amen and Ausar Thompson in ascending order of recency.

Dick and Tom Van Arsdale 

Dick and Tom Van Arsdale were the first set of twins to play together in the NBA and the pair also remain the most successful.

They were both drafted on consecutive picks in 1965, Dick to the New York Knicks at number 10 overall and Tom to the Detroit Pistons at number 11 overall.

The pair synced their careers together in true twin fashion, both earning All-Rookie status in the 1965/66 season and both went on to play 12 years each in the NBA.

Dick and Tom both ended their careers with three NBA All-Star appearances each, both in three consecutive seasons with the former doing his in 1969-1971 and the latter 1970-72.

The Indiana-born twins combined for 24 seasons in the NBA from 1965 to 1977, playing 1,850 games and recording 29,311 points, 7,749 rebounds and 5,142 assists together.

Horace and Harvey Grant

Unlike the previous set of twins, Horace and Harvey Grant’s NBA careers are not quite in sync as they both came into the league at different times and left at different times.

Horace was selected 10th overall by the Chicago Bulls in the 1987 NBA Draft while his twin brother Harvey had to wait a year to be selected with the 12th pick by the Washington Wizards.

There is no doubt which of the twins had a more successful career, Horace was a key part of the Bulls’ first three-peat between 1991 and 1993 along with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.

He also played longer, 17 seasons compared to his brother’s 11 but Harvey was not a slouch either as he averaged 18+ points for the Wizards in three consecutive seasons, more than Horace ever managed.

Horace was undoubtedly the most successful by every parameter and at 6’10 was even two inches taller than his twin. He played 170 playoff games in his career while his brother managed 19.

Jason and Jarron Collins

Both Jason and Jarron Collins are identical twins who are both seven-feet tall and played professional basketball in the NBA.

Jason was selected 18th overall by the Houston Rockets in the 2001 NBA Draft while his brother had to wait till the second round, selected 53rd overall by Utah Jazz.

Jason played for six teams over 13 seasons from 2001-2014, mostly with the Nets where he enjoyed his best season in 2004/05 when he started 80 games and averaged 6.4 points and 6.1 rebounds in 31.8 minutes.  

Jarron didn’t fare much better himself, representing Jazz, Suns, Trail Blazers and Clippers in a decade-long NBA career as a role player at best. 

Brook and Robin Lopez

There is no real metric to judge but Brook and Robin Lopez are arguably the most popular set of twins to ever play in the NBA.

Both stand 7 feet tall, both are 35 years old, both attended Stanford after growing up in Fresno, California and were both drafted in 2008 but that is where the similarities stop.

The pair are so identical physically and facially that they have to be separated by other features and thankfully, Robin has big puffy hair matching his eccentric personality while his brother’s normal haircut is a representation of his calm nature.

Brook was selected 10th overall by the Brooklyn Nets and Robin 15th by the Phoenix Suns and the former has since justified his higher selection as the better player by a distance.

Brook just finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting at the end of his 15th and most recent season and remains a key player for the Milwaukee Bucks with whom he won the 2021 NBA Championship.

Robin on the other hand is a journeyman who is also in his 15th NBA season but with his ninth different franchise as he has been a role player at best his entire career.

Marcus and Markieff Morris

Markieff Morris was selected 13th overall by the Phoenix Suns in the 2011 NBA Draft and his twin brother Marcus was the next pick at 14th overall by the Houston Rockets.

The pair are so close it is not hard to believe that they were born just seven minutes apart, a bond they still share today as 33-year-old adults.

Both players are journeymen in their NBA careers over the last 12 years with Markieff playing for eight teams so far while Marcus is on his sixth.

Marcus is currently on the books of the Dallas Mavericks while Markieff represents the Los Angeles Clippers as they continue to look for that elusive NBA Championship ring.

Caleb and Cody Martin

Caleb Martin is getting accolades for his key role in Miami Heat’s run to the 2023 NBA finals with emphasis on the fact that he was an undrafted player.

What many fail to mention is that Caleb went undrafted in the same draft his identical twin brother Cody was selected 36th overall by the Charlotte Hornets in the 2019 NBA Draft.

The Hornets went on to sign Caleb as a free agent and the twins played together for a while till he was waived, allowing him to join Miami Heat where he is excelling.

Cody on the other hand is starting a new deal with the Hornets worth $31.4 million over the next four seasons.