When she felt like her brother and pa have been getting just a little cocky, Cari Spears determined to take issues into her personal arms.
Positive, her dad, Marcus Sr., performed within the NFL for 9 years and her brother, Marcus Jr., is without doubt one of the nation’s prime highschool basketball gamers. However as she stored attempting to inform them, neither of those info equated to expertise in volleyball, her sport of alternative.
“I’d serve they usually couldn’t contact it,” Cari recalled with amusing. “They have been so satisfied they may block me, or I couldn’t block them. We tried, and let me let you know, they weren’t nice.”
“After some bent again fingers and wrist swelling and bruising, we all know who the boss is,” acknowledged Marcus Sr., the larger-than-life NFL analyst and persona seen often on “NFL Dwell,” “Monday Evening Soccer” and different ESPN reveals.
“Volleyball,” Junior added, “is rather a lot more durable than I assumed.”
In the meantime mother Aiysha, a former WNBA participant, seemed on smugly.
“I by no means mentioned something to Cari,” she mentioned. “I’m simply over right here chilling.”
Such a good-natured ribbing is commonplace within the Spears family in Dallas, the place “nobody is impressed” by the opposite’s accomplishments, mentioned Marcus Sr.
Such is life when dad was a first-round NFL choose (No. 20 in 2005 by the Dallas Cowboys) and mother was a first-round WNBA choose (No. 7 in 2003 by the Washington Mystics). Now eldest daughter Cari, the top-ranked volleyball participant within the 2025 class, is the favourite for nationwide freshman of the 12 months amid a stellar first season at Texas, which hosts Indiana in Friday’s third spherical of the NCAA Event. And Junior is without doubt one of the finest hoopers within the 2027 class.
That’s a variety of excellence in a single household. With it comes hyper competitiveness and inner and exterior pressures. Marcus Sr. and Aiysha draw on their very own experiences and dole out recommendation as the children discover their very own means.
And the Spears don’t suppose you’ve seen one of the best of them but — as a result of all of them agree that 12-year-old Miko, the second daughter and youngest sibling, is one of the best pure athlete of the group.
“Yeah,” Miko mentioned. “That’s true.”
Marcus and Aiysha, who met when each starred at LSU, figured once they had kids, they’d be drawn to sports activities. However they’d no concept simply how competitively unhinged elementary college youngsters might be till they took Cari, then 6, bowling for the primary time.
“We have been going to have enjoyable, however in fact me and Marcus are successful,” Aiysha recalled. “It’s getting nearer to the top and she or he’s getting just a little extra annoyed, just a little extra annoyed …”
Cari demanded bumpers be eliminated, satisfied if she may bowl with the identical situations as her dad and mom, she’d be extra profitable. When the sport ended, and Cari formally declared the loser, she broke down sobbing, wailing about how they needed to play once more, immediately.
Marcus Sr. turned to his spouse, “Yo, this can be a downside,” he mentioned, astonished at Cari’s aggressive drive.
They did play once more. And mother and pa, by no means ones to point out mercy, received once more. Cari fumed.
“She was not very pleased with us,” Aiysha mentioned, “for some time.”
Junior, broadly thought of one of the best trash talker within the household, proved to be the identical.
Requested what occurs when he and his dad, himself a former hooper, play one-on-one, Junior snorted.
“My dad received’t really go well with up and play me,” Junior mentioned. “He says it’s ’trigger he has unhealthy knees. So we’ll bump within the publish a bit, however he received’t actually play me.”
Junior, considerably reluctantly, acknowledged that he’s by no means really beat his mother in basketball. By the point Junior outgrew Aiysha — he’s presently 6 ft 9 — she opted to retire.
“As soon as once more,” Marcus Sr. mentioned, “she’s the neatest individual within the room.”
Cari, Junior and Miko grew up making every part a contest — who completed dinner first, who obtained into the automotive quickest, who raced upstairs skipping essentially the most steps. It wasn’t unusual for yard video games to begin pleasant and finish in tears. Junior mentioned Cari “used to beat me up on a regular basis,” exerting her older sister dominance when Junior took a slight lead in, nicely, something.
Nobody on this household handles dropping nicely.
Now that their kids are (largely) grown, that uncooked emotion has been transferred to mother and pa, who are usually not precisely recognized for preserving their cool as spectators. Whether or not he’s watching Cari smash kills over the online on the Gregory Gymnasium in Austin or sitting courtside whereas Junior throws down a dunk at Peach Jam in Augusta, Ga., Marcus Sr. can normally be heard yelling — at his youngsters, his youngsters’ teammates and possibly the officers. He can get, in his personal phrases, “very belligerent.”
“I don’t take pleasure in video games a lot,” Marcus Sr. mentioned. “Till it’s over they usually’ve received, it’s such an emotional drain for me. I do take pleasure in watching our youngsters make performs, however in any other case, it’s demanding.”
In the meantime, Aiysha may appear calm however the household insists it’s a facade.
“She’s the one utilizing curse phrases!” Marcus cried.
Cari Spears needed to give a shoutout to dad after getting the W ❤️@mspears96 | @TexasVolleyball pic.twitter.com/xFFden8exu
— SEC Community (@SECNetwork) September 20, 2025
Think about Grandma Irma, Marcus’ 71-year-old mom who lives with the household and helps hold everybody organized, and there’s mainly no tolerance for something lower than greatness. When video games are going poorly, Irma has been recognized to close off the TV or shut the pc, muttering to herself, “What are they pondering?!”
However they don’t tolerate noise from outsiders. Marcus Sr. and Aiysha obtained loads of follow at ignoring haters all through his NFL profession. Although social media and on-line criticism are inescapable now — a dramatic distinction from when mother and pa performed – Marcus Sr. consistently reminds his youngsters, “Username907645 ain’t by no means performed volleyball a day of their life, ain’t by no means shot a basketball. Why are you giving them any of your power?”
On the flip facet, they’re additionally cautious about anybody fawning over them.
“We’ve kinda been within the highlight for a minute due to what my dad does, and that’s cool, and we all know we’re completed within the public eye, however we’ve obtained much more to do,” Junior mentioned. “We’re good however we’re not that good, ?”
Living proof: On the Spears home, Aiysha, Cari and Miko would slightly binge “Promoting Sundown” than watch Marcus Sr. drone on in regards to the NFL.
Plus, Cari and Junior have understood from a younger age that whereas their dad and mom will all the time push them, they’ll by no means outline them by their athletic accomplishments.
Nonetheless, mother and pa have sufficient perspective to know what their youngsters are doing is uncommon — and particular. Aiysha performed two years of professional basketball earlier than retiring to begin their household, whereas Marcus was a seven-year starter at defensive finish for the Cowboys. He retired in 2013, when Cari was 6, totaling 236 profession tackles. They understand how exhausting it’s to get to this degree.
“I all the time had the imaginative and prescient of my youngsters doing sure issues,” Aiysha mentioned. “We knew what they may do in the event that they put within the work, they usually have.
“However I’m nonetheless type of in awe. Like, these are my infants! Take a look at them!”
Cari fell for volleyball as a result of it’s “the final word group sport,” she mentioned. Three totally different gamers contact the ball on every possession, making it exhausting for anybody particular person to take over a recreation. Aiysha by no means pushed hoops both.
However Junior selecting basketball after attempting soccer and baseball felt destined. Although Marcus Sr. starred on the gridiron, he was additionally the No. 95 basketball recruit within the 2001 class, attending USA Basketball camps and rooming with the likes of Dwyane Wade, Zach Randolph and T.J. Ford. His authentic plan upon arriving in Baton Rouge was to play each sports activities.
So what occurred?
“I performed for a lunatic named Nick Saban,” he deadpanned.
He’s kidding … largely.
Saban, Marcus Sr. mentioned, was really on board with him enjoying two sports activities, however Spears determined to commit his power to soccer, partially as a result of he felt it supplied a clearer path to the professionals.
And when he had a son, he was superb with Junior selecting one thing else.
“I attempted to discourage him, however not essentially ’explanation for damage,” Marcus Sr. mentioned. “I didn’t need him to must take care of the strain of being ‘the soccer son of an NFL participant.’”
Aiysha, who prepped ice packs after each Cowboys follow and performed nurse after every of Marcus Sr.’s surgical procedures, had a unique perspective: “I all the time used to inform him, don’t play a sport the place you need to put on a helmet and canopy up your face — that’s your moneymaker.’”
Enter hoops. Aiysha would usually work with him on technical talent whereas Marcus knocked him round within the paint. (“My dad,” Junior mentioned, “was not gonna let me be tender.”)
Marcus Spears Jr. (No. 1 SC NEXT 60) making a press release this season 🔥 @Mspearsjr @DynamicPrepSch @madehoops pic.twitter.com/Vbma3wKEU9
— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) November 23, 2025
The junior ahead at Dynamic Prep in Carrollton, Texas, already has presents from Houston, Indiana, Tennessee and LSU, amongst others. Junior mentioned he’s in no rush to make his faculty determination, and Cari, who he talks to on daily basis, has instructed him to benefit from the course of. When he wants an escape, he’ll play video video games. If Cari is residence, they’ll head out for just a few ruthless rounds of pickleball, their latest obsession.
The logistics of elevating three celebrity athletes are dizzying. Contemplate: When Cari was enjoying within the SEC event in Savannah, Junior was in Miami with Dynamic Prep. Marcus Sr., Aiysha and Miko began in Miami, earlier than Aiysha and Miko flew to Savannah. After Junior’s video games wrapped Sunday, Marcus Sr. headed to New York Metropolis for quite a lot of ESPN reveals for 3 days (he travels weekly to both ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Conn., or NYC for work).
All of them reconvened in Dallas for Thanksgiving, then headed their separate methods once more. They’re recreation planning for a way everybody may go to Kansas Metropolis ought to Cari and Texas make the nationwide volleyball semifinals Dec. 18.
The household is aware of that for as exhausting as all of the journey and coaching will be, few are given some of these alternatives. In addition they know this might be just the start.
Given their expertise, it’s not unrealistic to suppose that Cari and Junior may star for Crew USA at an Olympic Video games. However Aiysha has a plan to ensure all her youngsters are included.
“I need Miko to modify to being a setter,” she mentioned. “Then she will be able to arrange a kill for her sister.”
As a seventh grader, Miko hasn’t settled on a sport. But it surely’s no secret inside the household that “Little Bit” — her dad’s nickname for her — desires to be similar to Cari.
Stated Cari: “Hey, if she picks volleyball, that’s two of three youngsters. Then we’re formally a volleyball household.”
Even Junior agrees with that.
“Man, it may not matter what I do in basketball, even when I do make it to the NBA,” he mentioned. “Miko is gonna be a killer. She has the blueprint. And with the trail Cari is on, they may simply take over.”
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