LeBron James and his eldest son took the court together for the first time on Sunday night, giving fans a glimpse of the historic moment that will take place once the NBA season officially begins later this month.
LeBron and his son, Bronny James, another Lakers player, played together in the team’s 118-114 preseason loss to the Phoenix Suns at Acrisure Arena in Southern California on Sunday. The moment, which officially made LeBron and Bronny the first father-son duo to play simultaneously in an NBA game, also happened on Bronny’s 20th birthday.
“It’s surreal,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said before the game, via Jovan Buha of The Athletic. “I am very honored to be able to be a part of history.”
WOW THAT WAS SURREALISTIC!! 🥺🥺🥺🙌🏾🙌🏾
-LeBron James (@KingJames) October 7, 2024
Bronny entered the game in the second quarter. He didn’t score and grabbed two rebounds in 13 minutes while shooting 0-of-1 from the 3-point line. This was his second preseason game this fall. He had two points and a rebound and an assist in their loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday. LeBron made his preseason debut on Sunday. He finished with 19 points, five rebounds and four assists in 16 minutes.
THE The Lakers selected Bronny with the No. 55 overall pick in the draft earlier this summer after one season at USC. Young James then signed a four-year contract with a guaranteed value of $7.9 million with the Lakers, which is extremely rare for a second-round pick.
Bronny also played with the Lakers’ Summer League team in Las Vegas in July, and he had several games where he scored in double figures – although he started just 0-15 behind the arc.
LeBron is preparing to begin his 22nd season in the league this fall, tying the all-time record. LeBron, who turns 40 in December, averaged 25.7 points, 8.3 assists and 7.3 rebounds in 71 games last season with the Lakers. This is the most games he has played in a single campaign since the 2017-18 season with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Lakers will open the regular season against the Timberwolves on October 22, when LeBron and Bronny will officially make history as the first father and son to appear in an actual NBA game. While Sunday was undoubtedly special for the James, this moment in a few weeks will certainly be incredible for the family and Lakers fans.
