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Son of former NBA star joins Marine Corps

Marines may all be riflemen, but they can’t all hit the 3.

The Corps just picked up a different kind of marksman — a college basketball star with a rich pedigree, who decided to leave behind his athletic career to enlist.

Ryan Paxson, 21, son of Chicago Bulls veteran and current executive John Paxson, confirmed his decision to Marine Corps Times in an e-mail. He declined further comment, saying he is “not a Marine yet” and that it would “bring undeserved attention to me.”

“I hope this is understandable in that I have earned nothing up to this point except a chance to serve my country,” Paxson wrote.

A 6-foot-2 guard, Paxson was the second-leading scorer last year for Olivet Nazarene University, dropping 12.8 points per game for the Division II school while leading the team with 84 3-pointers in 32 games.

In an interview with The Daily Journal newspaper of Kankakee, Ill., published Thursday morning, Paxson said he told his teammates recently at the end of their season.

“The Marine Corps is the hardest, most respected branch of service, and it’s something I have a real passion for,” Paxson told the newspaper. “It’s something I’ve been thinking about since high school.”

Paxson’s father is best known as the sharp-shooting guard who started alongside Bulls legend Michael Jordan for much of his career. He hit the game-winning 3-pointer in Game 6 of the 1993 NBA Finals that clinched the Bulls’ third consecutive world championship and is now the Bulls’ vice president for basketball operations.

Paxson’s uncle, Jim Paxson, also played in the NBA, logging 11 seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers and Boston Celtics.