LeBron and Bronny James: First Father-Son Duo in NBA History

LeBron James gave his 20-12-month-antique son a pep communicate earlier than they rose from the Lakers bench. Amid rising cheers, they walked together to the scorer’s table—and then they stepped immediately into basketball records.

LeBron and Bronny have become the first father and son to play in the NBA collectively Tuesday night time throughout the Los Angeles Lakers’ season opener, a pleasant dream set out a few years in the past by means of LeBron, the pinnacle scorer in league records.

“That second, us being at the scorer’s desk collectively and checking in together, it’s a second I’m never going to overlook,” LeBron said. “No matter how antique I get, no matter how my reminiscence might also fade as I become old or something, I will never forget that moment.”

Father and son checked into the game towards Minnesota simultaneously with 4 minutes left in the 2nd quarter, prompting a big ovation from a domestic crowd privy to the enormity of the milestone. The 39-year-old iconic LeBron had already begun the sport and played 13 minutes before he teamed up with his 20-year-old vintage son for approximately 2 half minutes of movement.

LeBron James is one of the best gamers in NBA records, a 4-time champion and 20-time All-Star, while LeBron James Jr. was a 2D-spherical pick out by the Lakers last summer season. They are the primary father and son to play inside the world’s pinnacle basketball league at the identical time, let alone on the same team.

“Y’all equipped? You see the intensity, proper? Just play carefree, though,” father advised son at the bench earlier than they checked in, an change captured with the aid of the TNT cameras and microphones. “Don’t worry about approximately errors. Just exit and play hard.”

Their time on courtroom collectively turned into speedy and furious, simply as LeBron promised.

LeBron, who finished the night with sixteen factors, neglected perimeter shots earlier than making a dunk. Bronny had an early offensive rebound and missed a tip, and his first NBA jump shot moments later became a 3-pointer that came up simply brief. He checked out one ownership later, with 1:19 left within the second sector, not getting any other ovation.

Bronny didn’t play once more inside the Lakers’ 110-103 victory over the Timberwolves.

“(I) tried now not to recognize everything that’s taking place around me and attempted to consciousness on entering into as a rookie and now not trying to mess up,” Bronny said. “But yeah, I totally did experience the electricity, and I recognize Laker Nation for showing the guide for me and my dad.”

After the very last whistle at the Lakers’ first beginning-night time victory in LeBron’s seven seasons with the group, father and son also headed to the locker room collectively—but no longer before stopping inside the tunnel to hug Savannah James, LeBron’s spouse, and Bronny’s mother. The entire family became in attendance to look at history—oon little sister Zhuri’s 10th birthday, no much less.

Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. had also been courtside in the Lakers’ downtown area to witness the same history they made in Major League Baseball. The two sluggers played 51 games collectively for the Seattle Mariners in 1990 and 1991 as baseball’s first father-son duo.

The Jameses and the Griffeys met at some stage in pregame warmups for some images and a heat chat between high-quality own family strains.

LeBron first spoke about his dream to play alongside Bronny some years in the past, while his oldest son was nevertheless in high school. The dream became actual after Bronny entered the draft as a youngster following one collegiate season, and the Lakers grabbed him with the 55th common choice.

“I pointed it out years and years ago, and for this second to come back, it’s quite cool,” LeBron said. “I don’t recognise if it’s going to actually hit both people for a little minute, but while we absolutely get to sit again and take it in, it’s quite crazy. … But in the moment, we nevertheless had a process to do while we checked in. We wasn’t seeking to make it a circus. We wasn’t looking to make it about us. We wanted to make it about the team.”

LeBron and Bronny joined a small membership of father-son expert athletes who performed collectively. The Griffeys made records 34 years ago, and they even homered within the identical recreation on Sept. 14, 1990.

Baseball Hall of Famer Tim Raines and his namesake son also performed the feat with the Baltimore Orioles in 2001.

In hockey, Gordie Howe performed along his two sons, Mark and Marty, with the WHA’s Houston Aeros and Team Canada before one NHL season together on the Hartford Whalers in 1979-eighty, whilst Gordie turned into 51.

While the opposite circle of relative pairings in this list happened past due in the fathers’ careers, LeBron indicates no symptoms of slowing down or regressing as he starts his NBA document-tying twenty-second season.

LeBron averaged more than 25 points per game last year for his twentieth consecutive season, and he stays the most crucial participant at the Lakers along with Anthony Davis as they try and recapture the shape that gained a championship in 2020 and were given them to the Western Conference finals in 2023.

Bronny survived cardiac arrest and an open coronary heart surgical operation inside the summer season of 2023, and he went on to play a truncated freshman season at the University of Southern California. He declared for the draft besides, and the Lakers eagerly used the fourth-to-last pick out in the draft on the 6-foot-2 protect.

LeBron spent the summer season in Europe with the gold medal-triumphing U.S. Group at the Paris Olympics, even as Bronny played for the Lakers in the summer league. They commenced working towards together with the Lakers earlier than training camp.

The duo first played collectively inside the preseason, logging four minutes at some stage in a recreation in opposition to Phoenix simply outside Palm Springs in advance this month.

“It’s been a deal with,” LeBron stated at Tuesday’s morning shootaround. “In preseason, the practices, just each day… Bringing him on top of things of what this professional lifestyles is all about and a way to put together each day as a professional.”

The Lakers had been completely privy to the history they could make with this pairing, and coach JJ Redick spoke with the Jameses currently about a plan to make it take place early inside the regular season.

The presence of the Griffeys likely made it an inevitability for opening night, despite the fact that Redick stated the Lakers nevertheless desired it “to manifest naturally, in the float of the sport.”

The Lakers have declined to speculate on how lengthy Bronny will stay on their NBA roster. Los Angeles already has 3 different small guards on its roster, and Bronny likely desires normal gambling time to raise his game to a constant NBA popularity.

Those elements upload up to signify Bronny is probable to sign up for the associate South Bay Lakers of the G League at some point soon. LeBron and Redick have both spoken undoubtedly about the South Bay team, announcing that participant improvement is a key part of the Lakers company.

Miami forward Kevin Love, who knew all of the James youngsters—Bruno, Bryce, and Zhuri—from his time as LeBron’s teammate in Cleveland, stated it became “an unbelievable second” to see father and son gambling together.