Bronny James’ NBA career has officially begun.
He took the court with four minutes left in the second quarter alongside his father, LeBron James, becoming the first father-son duo to play a regular season NBA game together during the Lakers’ 110-103 season-opening win over the Timberwolves on Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena.
The 20-year-old James — who finished with one rebound and no points in three minutes of action in the Lakers win — made his pro debut after being drafted in the second round (No. 55 overall) by the Lakers in the 2024 draft.
Bronny, who also went 0-for-2 from the field, played one season at USC before making the jump to the NBA, averaging 4.8 points on 36.6 percent shooting with the Trojans.
“That moment, us being at the scorer’s table together and checking in together, it’s a moment I’m never going to forget,” LeBron said after the win. “No matter how old I get, no matter how my memory may fade as I get older or whatever, I will never forget that moment.”
In six preseason games, Bronny struggled to get his footing, averaging just 4.2 points on 29.7 percent shooting while going 1-for-12 from 3, although he put up a solid performance in the Lakers’ preseason finale on Friday with 17 points.
“(I) tried not to focus on everything that’s going on around me, and tried to focus on going in as a rookie and not trying to mess up,” Bronny said after the victory. “But yeah, I totally did feel the energy, and I appreciate Laker Nation for showing the support for me and my dad.”
LeBron said it was a special moment, but that they both had work to do.
“I talked about it years and years ago, and for this moment to come, it’s pretty cool,” LeBron said. “I don’t know if it’s going to actually hit the both of us for a little minute, but when we really get to sit back and take it in, it’s pretty crazy. … But in the moment, we still had a job to do when we checked in. We wasn’t trying to make it a circus. We wasn’t trying to make it about us. We wanted to make it about the team.”
During Lakers shootaround on Tuesday, LeBron addressed potentially taking the court with his son on the big stage.
“Whenever it happens, it will happen,” LeBron said. “If it’s tonight or if it’s down the line, whenever it happens, it will happen. But it’s been a treat, and just in preseason, the practices, just every day … just bringing him up to speed of what this professional life is all about and how to prepare every day as a professional.”
Ken Griffey Sr. and his Hall of Fame son, the first father-son duo in the history of Major League Baseball, were in attendance in Los Angeles to witness history in the NBA on Tuesday night.
“It’s going to be insane,” Bronny said of the Griffey’s going to the game. “Only two families to do it, so it’s going to be a crazy experience, especially with what they’ve done.”
LeBron had 16 points as the Lakers knocked off the Timberwolves on home court.
— with AP
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