For decades, the Valentine family have defined basketball in the Greater Lansing area. Carlton Valentine, a former Michigan State basketball player and father to Denzel and Drew Valentine, was inducted into the Greater Lansing Sports Hall of Fame last year for his contributions to the game of basketball as both a player and coach. This year, his sons will follow him into the Greater Lansing Sports Hall of Fame, as Drew and Denzel are both set to be inducted.
Denzel, obviously, is one of the most beloved Spartans in the modern era. In 2016, Valentine was a consensus All-American and won multiple National Player of the Year awards. Despite consistent injuries, he had a successful NBA career before heading overseas where he still plays professional ball in Italy.
Denzel's brother Drew parlayed a playing career at Oakland into a coaching career that started at Michigan State as a general assistant and has led to him leading Loyola Chicago as its head coach since 2021.
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This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: Valentines to be inducted into Greater Lansing Sports Hall of Fame