LeBron James and his eldest son took the court together for the first time on Sunday night, giving fans a preview of the historic moment that’ll take place once the NBA season officially kicks off later this month.
LeBron and his son, fellow Lakers player Bronny James, played together in the team’s preseason 118-114 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 in any NBA game at the same time, also happened on Bronny’s 20th birthday.
“It’s surreal,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said pregame, via The Athletic’s Jovan Buha. “I’m very honored that I get to be part of history.”
Bronny entered the game in the second quarter. He didn’t score and had two rebounds in 13 minutes while shooting 0-of-1 from the 3-point line. It marked his second preseason game this fall. He put up two points and had one rebound and one 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 Lakers selected Bronny with the No. 55 overall pick in the draft earlier this summer after one season at USC. The younger James then signed a four-year, $7.9 million guaranteed contract with the Lakers, which is extremely rare for a second-round pick.
Bronny played with the Lakers’ Summer League team in Las Vegas in July, too, and he had multiple games where he scored in double figures — though he started just 0-15 from behind the arc.
LeBron is preparing to start his 22nd season in the league this fall, which ties the all-time record. LeBron, who will turn 40 in December, averaged 25.7 points, 8.3 assists and 7.3 rebounds in 71 games last season with the Lakers. That was the most games he’s played in during a single campaign since the 2017-18 season with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Lakers will open the regular season against the Timberwolves on Oct. 22, which is when LeBron and Bronny will officially make history as the first father and son to appear in a real NBA game. While Sunday was undoubtedly special for the James’, that moment in a few weeks is sure to be incredible for the family and Lakers fans alike.
