PALM DESERT, California — LeBron James and his son Bronny made NBA history Sunday night when they played together for the first time during the Los Angeles Lakers’ preseason game against Phoenix.
LeBron and Bronny are the first father and son to play in an NBA game simultaneously, let alone on the same team. The notable James family moment coincidentally happened on Bronny’s 20th birthday.
Bronny James entered the game as a substitute to start the second quarter, joining his father on the court after the timeout. The crowd at Acrisure Arena in the Coachella Valley applauded at the mention of Bronny’s name.
LeBron James is entering his record-breaking 22nd season in the NBA, while LeBron James Jr. – known to everyone as Bronny – was the Lakers’ second-round pick this summer. After recovering from a cardiac arrest more than a year ago, Bronny played just one season in Southern California before entering the draft and joining the Lakers.
Things didn’t immediately go smoothly for the James family: Bronny committed two turnovers and LeBron had another in the first two minutes together. Shortly after LeBron hit a 3-pointer moments later, LeBron passed the ball to Bronny and set a screen for his son’s 3-point attempt, but Bronny missed.
Bronny came out for a substitute at 4:09 of the second quarter, and LeBron came out 25 seconds later on the next dead ball.
Even though LeBron will turn 40 at the end of December, the leading scorer in NBA history has shown no signs of slowing down with age. He’s talked for years about his longtime dream of playing in the NBA with one of his sons, and the Lakers made it happen when they nabbed Bronny with the 55th pick in the draft.
The 6-foot-2 Bronny is expected to spend much of the upcoming season working on his game with the G League’s South Bay Lakers, but he will almost certainly be able to play alongside his 6-foot-9 father in a real match. at the start of the regular season.
Head coach JJ Redick said the Lakers have already discussed the logistics of the next historic moment, but he did not predict when it will happen.
LeBron did not participate in the Lakers’ preseason opener against Minnesota last Friday night, resting after a full week of training camp following a busy summer. Bronny had two points on 1-for-6 shooting and three blocked shots while playing 16 minutes against the Timberwolves.
The Lakers have four more preseason games – all away from Los Angeles while their arena is renovated – before starting the regular season at home against Minnesota on October 22.
LeBron was early in his second NBA season with the Cleveland Cavaliers when he and his high school sweetheart, Savannah Brinson, became parents for the first time in 2004. They had two more children: son Bryce and daughter Zhuri.
LeBron and Bronny have been preparing for their chance to play together since LeBron returned from summer vacation after winning a gold medal with Team USA at the Paris Olympics. Anthony Davis also made his preseason debut against the Suns after a similarly busy summer.
The father and son have faced off against each other several times during practices at the Lakers’ training complex, both as teammates and opponents. Redick said they even ran pick-and-rolls together in preparation.
In the regular season, they will join a short list of fathers and sons who have shared the playing field in North American professional sports. Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. played together with the Seattle Mariners for parts of the 1990 and 1991 MLB seasons, while hockey great Gordie Howe played with his sons Marty and Mark for the WHA’s Houston Eros and the NHL Hartford Whalers.
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