198cm son of NBA veteran goes viral for dominating sixth-grade basketball game

Social media has gone into meltdown at the sight of the giant son of an NBA veteran dominating a sixth-grade basketball game.

Some kids just are simply just too good for their age group.

That was clear when footage of the son of former NBA veteran Erick Dampier destroying a sixth-grade basketball game went viral.

Dampier, a 2.11m centre, had a successful 16-year NBA career playing mainly for the Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks before retiring in 2012.

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Dampier was a dominant presence in the paint and it appears his son, Erick Dampier Jr., has inherited not only his height but his basketball prowess as well.

In a video circulating on social media over the weekend, Dampier Jr. was seen absolutely dominating a sixth grade game in a Mississippi league.

The youngster stands at an imposing 6ft 5, or 1.98m, and towered over his teammates and opponents as he ran riot, picking up 24 points, 21 rebounds, three assists and three blocks in the first half alone.

In a clip that has been viewed more than two million times, Dampier Jr. is seen dribbling the ball confidently up the court and easily brushing off some defenders, before ramming home a slam dunk just as the buzzer went.

The camera then pans to the scoreboard, which showed his team was leading 30-0. We’re guessing Dampier Jr’s team went on to win the game.

Erick Dampier Jr is already a giant.

Just casually dunking in primary school.

Making the sixth-grader’s performance even more impressive is he plays point guard, the position usually reserved for one of the shorter players on the court who can dribble and pass comfortably.

But Dampier Jr. is clearly more than capable of handling the ball, as he is reportedly the No. 1 sixth grade basketballer in the US.

According to the Mississippi Play Sports League, his parents use the winter league to work on his ball handling and decision making against kids his own age, and he plays up with eighth graders in spring and summer because it’s more competitive.

Social media lit up at the sight of the giant Dampier Jr. tearing up the court, with many saying he has a bright future in basketball, just like his dad.

Former NBA player Rex Chapman tweeted: “SIXTH. GRADE”, with a mind blown emoji.

FYI this is Erick Dampier SR’s kid… pic.twitter.com/LlINkGecOq

— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) February 6, 2022

Sports radio host Damon Bruce said: “Erick Dampier’s kid, Erick Dampier, is already better than, Erick Dampier.”

Brad Logan added: “Son of former Mississippi State centre Erick Dampier is a stud. And a 6th grader.”

New Republic writer Jacob Silverman: “Is this NBA vet Erick Dampier’s son? Also being able to dunk in 6th grade!!”.

Originally published as 198cm son of NBA veteran goes viral for dominating sixth-grade basketball game