Does Josh Hart come from a family of athletes? A common pattern seen amongst the NBA players of today has been a pre-existing love for basketball, or any kind of sport, that has been passed down from the older generation. Sure enough, the New York Knicks star boasts a mother who, according to sources, played basketball during her tenure at the United States Air Force Academy. His father, on the other hand, engaged himself in baseball for a brief period. The love for the ball-and-bat game was passed upon him by a very special individual, to who the NBA player recently paid tribute to.

Yesterday, Josh Hart was invited to Yankee Stadium to throw the ceremonial first pitch of the game between the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles. Some might have linked the honor to the NBA player showing love to the home team. After all, he is set to commence his second full season with the New York Knicks soon. However, it was actually to honor former MLB legend Elston Howard. The first African-American player to represent the Yankees, he was a part of the team for over 12 years of his professional career. After retiring as a player, he later served as the team coach for an additional decade. However, why was Josh Hart chosen to pay honor to him? Without any further ado, let us look into finding out exactly why.

Are Josh Hart and Elston Howard related?

Elston Howard just so happens to be the uncle of Moses Hart, aka Josh Hart’s father! Josh’s grandmother was a sister of Arlene Howard, who was married to the MLB star until his death in 1980. The NBA player never got to meet the baseball legend, since he passed away 15 years before he was born. Despite this, while growing up, he heard several stories from his father about how he would go to the ballpark to watch him play and got inspired enough to start pursuing baseball himself. Therefore, without even getting a chance to meet him, Josh Hart now credits his great-uncle for being a big influence in his life.

“I used him as a role model, just everything he was able to do: The first black player to play for the Yankees. The character that he had is something that I try to resemble,” said Hart during a 2016 interview. He would later add, “Hopefully, a couple of generations down, someone in my family will be saying the same thing about me.”

All the stories he heard even convinced Josh to try a hand out in baseball during his childhood days. Reminiscing on it, he revealed how there was “no better sound in sports than when that wooden bat makes contact with that ball.” In fact, he even believed that his father was reportedly pushing him to pursue the sport. Unfortunately, after a while, Josh started to find baseball boring. A major reason for this was the fact he used to be in the outfield, where “No one hits me the ball when I’m out here.” Maybe if they knew who his great-uncle was, things might have been different. Nevertheless, everything worked out for the best, as developing a disinterest in baseball only allowed him to find his true love in basketball. The rest, as they say, is history.

Baseball wasn’t only a catalyst for Josh Hart to start pursuing dreams about the NBA. Years later, after joining the Knicks, he revealed how playing in the outfield position helped him to develop his rebounding skills, as one had to judge where the ball would go, see where it’s eventually going, and then work accordingly to get it quick. Therefore, we can thank baseball, and Elston Howard, for the 6.6 rebounds he has averaged over the course of his 7-year career.

Has Josh Hart paid tribute to Elston Howard before?

Believe it or not, the recent invitation to throw the opening pitch wasn’t the first time that the Knicks star honored his great-uncle. As he was coming in for one of his games in March 2023, he was photographed donning a special Yankees jersey with the Number 32 adorning the back. Having arrived in New York, there was no better time to remember Elston Howard than at that moment.

“We just had the jersey made, kind of a sentimental piece for my family and myself,” said Josh. “Now I gotta work on getting my dad one.” Amongst the people who were glad that Josh Hart was traded to the Knicks were Cheryl Howard, Elston Howard’s daughter, and the NBA player’s aunt. In an interview with Sports+, she revealed “We all are very proud of Josh. He’s just a lovely young man, and it’s really great that he’s now in New York, where my father played and coached for many, many years. If my dad were alive now, he’d be very proud, too.”

The more Josh Hart excels on the court at Madison Square Garden, the more he keeps reminding New Yorkers of his ancestor: the MLB star. The one who played a role in opening the gates for several African-American baseball enthusiasts, at a reportedly controversial era of American history.

Before you go, remember to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.