Bronny James' NBA career has officially begun.
He took the court with his father, LeBron James, with four minutes left in the second quarter in the Lakers' 110-103 season-opening win over the Timberwolves on Tuesday, becoming the first father and son to play together in an NBA regular-season game. They became a duo. At night at Crypto.com Arena.
The 20-year-old James, who had one rebound and no points in three minutes of play in the Lakers' victory, made his professional debut after being selected by the Lakers in the second round (55th overall) in the 2024 draft. .
Bronny, who was also 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 for the Trojans.
“In that moment, we were at the scorer's table together and we were able to check in together. It's a moment I'll never forget,” LeBron said after the win. “No matter how old I get, no matter how old my memory fades, I will never forget that moment.”
Bronny struggled to find his footing in six preseason games, averaging just 4.2 points on 29.7 percent shooting while going 1-for-12 from three, but he was 1-for-12 from three-point range and averaged just 4.2 points in the Lakers' final preseason game on Friday. He showed a solid performance with 17 points.
“(I) tried to not focus on everything that was going on around me and just try to focus on coming in as a rookie and not trying to mess it up,” Bronny said after the win. “But I definitely felt the energy and I'm grateful to Lakers Nation for showing support for me and my dad.”
LeBron said it was a special moment, but they both had work to do.
“We've been talking about it for years, but for this moment to come, it's pretty cool,” LeBron said. “For a little while, I don't know if it's going to really affect the both of us, but once you actually sit back and accept it, it's pretty crazy. …But for now, check in We still had work to do when we did it. We weren't trying to make it a circus. We weren't trying to make it about ourselves. We wanted to make that about the team.”
During the Lakers' shootaround on Tuesday, LeBron talked about the possibility of being on the court with his son on the big stage.
“Whenever it happens, it's going to happen,” LeBron said. “Whether it's tonight, whether it's in the near future, whenever it happens, it's going to happen. But it's so exciting and whether it's just during the preseason or every day in practice…this professional life I just need him to understand what it is and how to prepare every day as a professional.”
On Tuesday night, Ken Griffey Sr. and his Hall of Fame son, the first father-son duo in Major League history, were in Los Angeles to witness NBA history.
“It's going to be crazy,” Bronny said of Griffey's appearance. “Only two families do it, so it's going to be a crazy experience, especially considering what they did.”
LeBron scored 16 points as the Lakers defeated the Timberwolves on their home court.
— with AP
