Athletes Who Had Kids When They Were Really Young

Before Lamar Odom found himself in a whirlwind marriage with Khloe Kardashian of "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" fame, the former NBA player was in another serious relationship that resulted in the birth of his three children with his first child, a girl, born when Odom was just 19-years-old. 

According to the Daily Mail, a year before Odom was drafted to the Los Angeles Clippers, he welcomed a daughter named Destiny in 1998 with former girlfriend Liza Morales. In 2002, they would welcome their second child, a boy named Lamar Jr., and in 2006, their third child, Jayden, was born. Sadly, Jayden died a year later from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. The loss of their child was tough for both parents, with Morales telling People that it caused her to battle with depression while Odom battled with drug addiction. "I lost myself trying to co-parent with an addict, trying to guide my kids through the trauma of losing their sibling, of dealing with a father who's an addict and the constant headlines," she shared.

The couple split soon after Jayden's death but remained on good terms. In 2009, Odom married Kardashian after just dating for one month. Odom's daughter Destiny admitted, "When your dad's an NBA player that's already enough, but when he's marrying a reality TV star, things are so public and you don't have a private life anymore." Kardashian and Odom called it quits in 2016.

If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

Famed professional boxer Evander Holyfield was 22-years-old when he competed in his first boxing match in 1984. That same year, Holyfield also welcomed his son, Evan, who would become just like his father. 

SportsCasting reported that Holyfield is the father of 11 kids from six different women. However, his first son is by far his most famous child as he also followed in his father's footsteps to become a boxer. He also signed with Main Events in 2019, the same company that signed Holyfield back in the '80s, per ESPN. At 21-years-old, Evan shared about seeing his passions come to life, "This is really a dream come true. I have been doing this for more than 10 years and it's not really a job if you really enjoy it. Life is always better when you have a dream you can strive for and work towards every day. I am eager to get started and excited to begin this next chapter."

Speaking to Sporting News about his father's legacy and becoming a legend in his own right, Evan shared, "If you want to be great, you need to look at the greats. If you want to be a great basketball player, you have to look at Michael Jordan. I wanted to be great at boxing, and my father is on that shortlist of boxers I had to look at to see greatness."

Dwyane Wade was a very busy guy in the early 2000s when he not only entered the 2003 NBA draft and was selected fifth overall by the Miami Heat, but had just become a dad when he welcomed a son named Zaire a year prior.

Wade was just 20-years-old when he and his ex-wife Siohvaughn Funches welcomed Zaire. In 2007, the former couple welcomed Zion, who was assigned male at birth, and who now goes by Zaya and identifies as transgender, per USA Today. That same year, Wade separated from his first wife and their divorce was finalized in 2010. Wade and actor Gabrielle Union began dating in 2009, but they briefly split in 2013, and the basketball pro fathered a child named Xavier with Aja Metoyer. Despite this, Wade and Union reunited and got married in 2014 and they later welcomed a daughter named Kaavia via surrogate in 2018, per Us Weekly. 

Wade's oldest son, Zaire, is playing in the NBA G League with the Salt Lake City Stars. Talking to The Salt Lake Tribune, Zaire talked about his famous dad pushing him to be at his best, "He keeps it setting different goals for me to try to reach as far as being successful. And I keep telling my dad, 'Slow down, man, I'm trying to catch up with you, and you're making it hard for me!'"

Golden State Warriors player Stephen Curry and his wife Ayesha Curry welcomed their first child Riley in July 2012 and although the NBA star was just 23-years-old, he was already a superstar on the court having been with the NBA team for four years and bringing home close to $4 million during his 2012/2013 season, per HoopsHype.

Although athletes get a bad rap for being unfaithful, the Curry's have stood the test of time. According to Us Weekly, having known one another since they were teens, the couple tied the knot in 2011, welcoming Riley a year after. Talking about how quickly he went from husband to father, Curry shared, "It's been a whirlwind. I had to grow up, for sure ... We wanted kids, but we didn't think it would happen in our first three months of marriage" (via Sports Spectrum). Ayesha, who became a mom at just 22, also said about their daughter Riley, "Even to this day, we haven't had time to process what has really happened. We are still like, 'Oh, we get to keep her?'"

The Currys welcomed two more children — a daughter named Ryan in 2015, and a son born in 2018 named Cannon, per Us Weekly. Curry's salary has also gone up, and as of this writing, he is the highest paid player in the NBA for the 2021-22 season, per Forbes.

2003 was a big year for LeBron James, who went No. 1 overall at the NBA draft when he was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers. The very next year, he and his high school sweetheart Savannah James would welcome a son, LeBron "Bronny" James Jr. 

LeBron and Savannah were both 19 when they welcomed their son into the world. Despite already getting drafted into the NBA, she shared with Harper's Bazaar that she believed their new venture into parenthood at such a young age could have hurt his career. "I was thinking, 'What am I going to tell my parents? What's going to happen to his career?' I was very scared. I was bawling. But he said, 'It's not going to slow me down ... We're going to keep doing what we have to do,'" she shared. The couple welcomed a second son named Bryce Maximus James in June 2007, and they later tied the knot in 2013. A year later, they welcomed their third child, a daughter named Zhuri, per Clutch Points. 

LeBron has big dreams to play ball with his oldest son before he goes into retirement. Bronny James is eligible to participate in the 2024 NBA Draft with LeBron telling The Athletic, "My last year will be played with my son. Wherever Bronny is at, that's where I'll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for one year. It's not about the money at that point."