Who is Zach LaVine's dad? Taking a closer look at Bulls star's personal life

Zach LaVine scored 39 points to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 109-105 win over the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the play-in tournament on Wednesday.

LaVine is known for his scoring and dynamic athleticism. Let’s take a look at where that athleticism was born from his workouts with his father.

How did LaVine’s dad influence his son’s career?

LaVine’s father, Paul, was a professional American football player. Paul played in the NFL and the now-defunct USFL. He played linebacker in three games for the Seattle Seahawks. Paul LaVine, from Utah State, played for two seasons in the USFL with the Portland Breakers as well as the CFL. His father also pursued a professional softball career after retiring from football.

Zach’s mother, CJ, was also an athlete, playing softball in college.

Paul would work out with Zach in their backyard from a young age. Paul built training equipment to work out with Zach. He often made him go through a 3-point shootout drill multiple times over to improve Zach’s shooting. Zach was raised in a suburb of Seattle, Washington.

Paul would also put Zach through drills to practice his dunking. He built a sand pit that Zach would train in to improve his agility and explosiveness. Zach would sometimes practice jumping to dunk from the sand.

He practiced with his father every day, working on shooting drills, ball handling, touch and strength training. His father trained Zach through very detailed workouts and was not an easy coach. He also emphasized mental toughness and the importance of the brain in an athletic career.

Zach credits much of his athletic success to the backyard workouts with his father. As stated on his personal website:

“I owe much of my success to the hard work and countless hours spent in my backyard with my parents. They supported me and always inspired me to strive for more.”

His parents often attend Bulls games.

LaVine will lead the Bulls into the final game of the play-in tournament. The Bulls will travel to Miami to take on the Heat on Friday. If they win, they will advance to a first-round series against the No. 1 seed Milwaukee Bucks.