LeBron James grew up without a father, and as the top scorer in NBA history, he often shares how much he values every moment with his three kids.
When he stepped onto the court Sunday night to play with his son, Bronny, for the Los Angeles Lakers, it meant more to him than just making basketball history.
This moment was a family dream come true. LeBron and Bronny became the first father and son to play in any NBA game together during the first half of a preseason match against Phoenix, sharing the floor for just over four minutes in the second quarter.
“It’s pretty cool for the both of us, and especially for our family,” LeBron said. “It’s definitely a moment that I will never forget.”
This special moment for the James family happened to be on Bronny’s 20th birthday, making it feel like a celebration for the 39-year-old LeBron, who has talked about wanting this chance since Bronny was in high school.
Even though LeBron knows they will have more opportunities to play together during the Lakers’ upcoming season, this first time on the court in uniform felt “not real” to him, as a four-time NBA champion and 20-time All-Star.
“For a father, it means everything,” LeBron said. “For someone who didn’t have that growing up, to be able to have that influence on your kids and have that influence on your son, be able to have moments with your son — and the ultimate, to be able to work with your son — that’s one of the greatest things that a father could ever hope for or wish for.”
Bronny James came into the preseason game as a substitute at the start of the second quarter, joining his father at Acrisure Arena in the Coachella Valley.
Coach JJ Redick had informed Bronny before the game that he would be playing alongside LeBron, but the rookie kept his usual calm demeanor both before and after this significant moment.
“I was pretty psyched for that,” Bronny said.
While he doesn’t talk as much about it as LeBron, Bronny is still figuring out how to play alongside his father. LeBron has made it clear that his son can’t call him “Dad” while they’re on the court.
“I’m always thinking about, ‘That’s my dad!’, because that’s literally my dad,” Bronny said. “But when I’m playing, he’s just my teammate. That’s all.”
Their time together on the court wasn’t as smooth as it will be later in the season. Bronny had two turnovers and LeBron had one in their first two minutes. After LeBron made a 3-pointer, he passed the ball to Bronny and set a screen for him to take a 3-point shot, but Bronny missed.
“I was really hoping that wing 3 would have gone in,” Redick said with a smile. “That would have been a cool moment. But they’ll have a lot of moments together, I’m sure.”
Bronny came off the court for a substitute 4:09 into the second quarter, and LeBron left 25 seconds later during the next stoppage in play. LeBron had 19 points, five rebounds, and four assists in 16 minutes during the first half and watched the rest of the game from the bench with Anthony Davis.
Bronny played about nine minutes in the second half but didn’t score in the Lakers’ 118-114 loss to the Suns.
“I just told him, ‘Keep getting better,’” LeBron said. “He’s young. He wants to continue to improve, and that’s what’s most important. So every time you get a moment out there, just continue to make winning plays. Continue to learn from his mistakes and make winning plays.”
LeBron James is starting his record-tying 22nd season in the NBA, while LeBron James Jr., known as Bronny, was the Lakers’ second-round draft pick this summer. After recovering from cardiac arrest over a year ago, Bronny played just one season at Southern California before entering the draft.
Redick had promised that the pairing would only happen “in the flow of the game” and wouldn’t feel “gimmicky.”
“I’m thrilled that I get to be a part of this, I really am,” Redick said. “It’s cool as a basketball fan. I think it speaks to LeBron’s longevity, but also his competitive stamina that he’s able to still be doing this in Year 22.
It shows the work that Bronny has put in to get to this point, and really just the fatherly care, and certainly the motherly care from Savannah as well. Bronny, he’s such a great kid and a pleasure to be around.”
The 6-foot-2 Bronny is expected to spend a lot of the upcoming season improving his game with the South Bay Lakers in the G League, but he will almost certainly get to play with his 6-foot-9 father in a real game early in the regular season.
The games that count start on Oct. 22 at home against Minnesota.
Although LeBron will turn 40 in late December, the all-time top scorer in the NBA has shown no signs of slowing down as he gets older.
LeBron sat out the Lakers’ preseason opener against Minnesota last Friday night, taking a break after a full week of training camp following a busy summer. Bronny had two points on 1-for-6 shooting and three blocked shots while playing 16 minutes against the Timberwolves.
LeBron was early in his second NBA season with the Cleveland Cavaliers when he and his high school sweetheart, Savannah Brinson, became parents for the first time in 2004. They later had two more children — son Bryce and daughter Zhuri.
LeBron and Bronny have been getting ready for the chance to play together ever since LeBron returned from a summer vacation after winning a gold medal with the U.S. team at the Paris Olympics.
The father and son have scrimmaged together many times during workouts at the Lakers’ training center, both as teammates and opponents.
In the regular season, they will join a short list of fathers and sons who have played together in North American professional sports.
Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. played together with the Seattle Mariners during parts of the 1990 and 1991 baseball seasons, while hockey legend Gordie Howe played with sons Marty and Mark for the Houston Aeros in the WHA and the New England/Hartford Whalers in the WHA and NHL.
