A stranger set of circumstances called her older brother out of his own premature retirement. When the NBA's Dallas Mavericks began to show interest in him, the UCLA forward advised the expansion team officials that he was not interested in playing professionally but was intent on going to law school. Convinced that Vandeweghe was their man, the Mavericks accepted the challenge, drafting him in the first round.

"Certainly I was flattered to be chosen so early and I felt that I owed them the courtesy of hearing their offer. Even if pro basketball had been my first choice. I never would have accepted their offer--it wasn't even in the ballpark. This coupled with my desire to go to law school caused me to turn down the contract and that led to the subsequent breakdown in communications." Kiki recalled.

But before applying to law school, Kiki needed one final quarter for his degree in economics; a conscientious student, Vandeweghe had lost a quarter when he had played basketball in China on a U.S. diplomatic mission.

Last December, while nearing the end of his final quarter, and no longer juggling academics with a heavy practice schedule, Kiki was ready to breeze through exams when he got the news that Dallas had traded him to Denver for future draft choices. Hours later he was on a plane to the mile-high city, and that night he played his first game in the pros against the Dallas Mavericks.

"I was pleased with Denver's first offer and signed immediately. Playing your way into shape isn't the best way to start off in the NBA, but it worked out okay. I enjoyed playing for the Nuggets and I'm looking forward to a better start, next year," he said.

Refusing to abandon his law school plans, Kiki plans to take his finals and pick up his undergraduate degree in the upcoming months. Ideally, he'd like to begin law school next year in the off season.

Pro basketball and rigorous courses seldom mix, but Kiki has one of the NBA's most educated alumni as an example: His father, Ernie, who is now a prominent Southern California pediatrician, paid for his Columbia Medical School education playing guard for the New York Knicks.

Although Tauna has only one year of eligibility left at UCLA, she will definitely play volleyball next year and has no intention of leaving the sports scene entirely.

"I'd like very much to get into sports broadcasting in the future. In fact, I think that it would be great to broadcast some of my brother's games. Perhaps I could do color with my father doing the play by play," she mused.

It looks like sports will remain a family affair for the Vandeweghes.