Thirteen-year-old Kimani Bunch rooted for the Pistons to win the NBA championship.

"I've never liked the Lakers," he said as he watched TV with his dad. "He wouldn't let me."

Ted Bunch's laugh filled their apartment. "That's right. He knows who's cooking dinner."

Ten years ago, Bunch gained sole custody of his son and joined the growing number of single fathers in the United States.

In 1970, one in 10 single parents was a single dad, and there were nearly 400,000 of them, according to U.S. Census data.

Today, about one in six single parents is a single father, and they number 2 million.

"I think society is finally realizing that women aren't the only ones capable of raising children alone," Bunch said. The 39-year-old thinks there still is a legal bias toward awarding custody to mothers, however.

Being a single dad isn't easy.

"From a financial standpoint, it definitely is a challenge because there's only one income and no other support," Bunch said.

Time management also is an issue. Bunch is working toward his doctorate in the environmental and molecular toxicology department at Oregon State University, and he often brings Kimani to his laboratory.

The duo moved to Corvallis from Virginia about six years ago, driving exactly 3,682 miles so Bunch could attend OSU.

Now Kimani probably has been to enough classes to earn his own undergraduate degree, Bunch said.

Hiring a babysitter hasn't been cost-effective, so besides bringing Kimani along with him to campus, Bunch relies on a support group of other families. Not that Kimani needs a babysitter anymore.

And being a single dad does have some benefits, Bunch said.

"I don't have a spouse or mother around to argue about how to do things," he said.

"The converse is that I don't have anybody to discuss things with."

Bunch added that Kimani has made being a single parent easier by being respectful, responsible and intelligent.

Besides basketball, Bunch and Kimani like to hit golf balls together, go fishing and play Monopoly and dominoes.

"Everybody thinks my dad is cool, but I've never had very many people ask about my mom," Kimani said. "I tell them I see her every summer. I like her. … The thing about my mom is she isn't really into sports."

Kimani arrived in Virginia for a six-month visit with his mother Saturday. Bunch said he didn't realize the trip was scheduled during Father's Day.

"If he's here, pretty much every day is Father's Day for me," he said.

Bunch has coached Kimani's youth basketball teams the past two years. Kimani usually plays point guard. The eighth-grader wants to play basketball in high school.

"There's no question he has the ability," his dad said.

There's also no question he has the support.

Kyle Odegard covers Philomath and rural Benton County. He can be contacted at kyle.odegard@lee.net.