It’s a preseason game, it’s not official as far as the NBA is concerned, but it’s an important step.
LeBron James and his son Bronny James shared the court for the first time Sunday night during the Lakers’ exhibition against the Suns. This is the first time that a father-son duo has found themselves together on an NBA court.
Lakers coach JJ Redick said after the match that he brought LeBron and Bronny together at the start of the second quarter so they could be in the flow of the game.
It was LeBron’s preseason debut and he picked up where he left off at the Paris Olympics, scoring 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting with five rebounds and four assists in 16 minutes of play. Bronny was scoreless in his 13 minutes on the field.
LeBron’s reaction to playing with his son?
Bronny always said he tried to treat LeBron like a teammate and not his father, but the experience was surreal for him as well.
Bronny James on playing alongside his father: “I always think ‘That’s my dad’ because, literally, he’s my dad.”
–Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) October 7, 2024
Bronny has looked solid defensively in his two preseason outings, but his offensive game still has a long way to go before he can regularly crack the Lakers’ rotation. It was planned, it was always considered a project.
Redick said his goal is to get LeBron and Bronny together on the court from the start of an NBA game, maybe even in the opener against the Timberwolves. Ultimately, Bronny is expected to spend significant time this season in the G-League with the South Bay Lakers, but that season doesn’t begin until a few weeks after the NBA season opens. LeBron and Bronny can have their moment, and then the Lakers can stay focused on the business of the season.
This means we should expect a repeat of what we saw on Sunday in just a few weeks, but this time in a match that will be official.
