LeBron James and Bronny James have already made NBA history as father and son teammates with the Los Angeles Lakers. But the two experienced a special moment on Wednesday evening in an away game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, with whom LeBron spent eleven seasons and won a championship.
The Cavaliers rolled over the Lakers 134-110 on Wednesday in a blowout game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, leaving the Cavaliers undefeated on the season. Bronny entered the game in the fourth quarter when the game was well out of reach for the Lakers, although fans in Cleveland made it more than clear that they wanted him to report ahead of time.
He took the field with about five minutes left in the fourth quarter to loud applause. It was his second career appearance in an NBA game.
LeBron was already out of the game at that point. He finished the night with 26 points and six rebounds after shooting 9 of 13 from the field. Bronny also scored the first points of his career when he hit a stepback jumper from the short corner just a few minutes after entering the game.
He finished with two points, two assists and a steal in his five minutes on the court. Bronny shot 1-of-2 from the field and missed a three-point attempt down the stretch.
Even though the two weren’t on the floor at the same time, the Cavaliers found a way to honor both James’ before the game.
Bronny will play in the G League after a five-game road trip with the Lakers that ends next week. But he and LeBron had to do something first: come home.
Cleveland has always been home to the James family, with LeBron starting his career there after growing up in nearby Akron. Bronny, the eldest of LeBron and his wife Savannah’s three children, was born in Akron in 2004, just before LeBron’s second year with the Cavaliers.
LeBron James spent 11 years in Cleveland over two stints, collecting awards and accolades during both stints. During the first stint, LeBron took home the NBA Rookie of the Year and two NBA MVP awards; Returning to Northern Ohio in 2014, he led the Cavaliers to the 2016 NBA Championship.
After Bronny was selected by the Lakers with the 55th overall pick in the NBA Draft in June, the two became the first father-son duo to play together in NBA history last week in the Lakers’ season opener. LeBron and Bronny shared the court for a total of three minutes in the second quarter of the 110-103 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Jameses are only the fourth father-son duo to play together in American professional sports; one of those couples, Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr., attended Los Angeles’ first game to see history in the making.
The Cavaliers led almost all the way Wednesday night, outscoring the Lakers by 19 points in the opening quarter to build their lead. Evan Mobley led the way with 25 points and Donovan Mitchell finished with 24 points and seven assists. Jarrett Allen also added 20 points and 17 rebounds.
Anthony Davis added 22 points and 13 rebounds for the Lakers in the loss, moving them to 3-2 on the year. Rookie Dalton Knecht finished with 18 points off the bench. The Lakers have three games remaining on their road trip, starting with a matchup against the Toronto Raptors on Friday night.
