Barry Sanders' son Nicholas joins Michigan State basketball as walk-on

Jack Baer
From left Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders is seen before receiving a Pro Football Hall of Fame ring during a ceremony at halftime of an NFL football game between the Detroit Lions and the Chicago Bears, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2015, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)
One of Barry Sanders' children chose a different sport. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

The Michigan State men's basketball team has a new walk-on. The name should be familiar to the state.

Nicholas Sanders, son of Detroit Lions legend Barry Sanders, was among the 14 players listed on the Spartans' roster Friday. The 5-foot-9, 170-pound guard will wear No. 20, the same number his father used while accruing 15,269 career rushing yards with the Lions.

The elder Sanders made an appearance before the basketball team in June, when Nicholas was apparently still deliberating over attending Michigan State. He reportedly called Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo "one of the best tour guides ever."

Nicholas is the second Sanders child to play college athletics. His older brother Barry J. Sanders was a running back at Stanford and Oklahoma State from 2012-2016.

Michigan State is coming off a 23-13 season in which it finished tied for seventh in the Big Ten and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament. The team will be trying to replace its top three scorers from last season, Gabe Brown, Marcus Bingham Jr. and Max Christie.

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