LeBron James and his eldest son Bronny are officially the first father-son duo to take the court together in NBA history.
Teased for years and enshrined in the 2024 NBA Draft, this feat became a reality on Tuesday during the Los Angeles Lakers’ season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The eldest James was in the starting line-up, but had to wait until eight minutes into the second quarter before his son appeared.
Once the couple checked in, they received a meaningful ovation:
Some microphones also caught LeBron giving some fatherly advice before the two checked in.
The two were on court together earlier in the preseason, with LeBron later tweeting that it was “SURREAL.” One can only wonder what Tuesday felt like, especially after so many years of anticipation.
LeBron James has wanted to play with Bronny for years
LeBron has hinted for years that he planned to play alongside his son, even going so far as to say he would spend his final season with Bronny in 2022, when Bronny was still in high school. Even for a four-star recruit like Bronny, those are high expectations.
Bronny’s path to the NBA became more turbulent than expected. He opted to stay close to home and play for USC in college, but a congenital heart defect significantly delayed his debut and he was little more than a reserve when he started playing, averaging 4.8 points in 19 .6 minutes per match.
Still, LeBron James’ child is going to get the attention of NBA front offices. Bronny was one of the draft’s biggest conundrums, with shared agent Rich Paul publicly insisting there was no behind-the-scenes engineering to ensure LeBron would play with his son. Regardless, few were surprised when the Lakers selected Bronny with the 55th overall pick.
There was some question whether Bronny would see NBA action immediately since he is essentially an end-of-the-bench player for the Lakers, but the team decided to get the father-son story out of the way quickly.
Ken Griffey Jr. and Sr. were there to welcome LeBron and Bronny to a small club
Two of the few people who understand what Tuesday’s moment meant for the James family were present at Crypto.com Arena.
Ken Griffey Jr. and Sr., who played together for the Seattle Mariners in 1990 and 1991, chose to look at history together.
In the great history of North American sports, the list of fathers and sons who played together is only decades old. Gordie Howe was the first to do it when he played with his sons Mark and Marty for the Hartford Whalers from 1979-1980. The Griffeys followed in the 1990s, after which Tim Raines Sr. and Jr. did it in 2001 on the Baltimore Orioles.
In all those previous cases, however, it was an aging father who was not in his best shape and headed to where his son or sons were playing. LeBron is the only one who brought his son to him.
What else can Bronny James do in the NBA?
For Bronny, playing legitimate professional sports with your father is an experience that few people ever have. However, this is probably not the main reason he chose this field.
If Bronny wants to have a long-lasting NBA career — if he wants to be known for anything other than being the son of LeBron James — he has a lot of work ahead of him. It’s not unfair to say that players with Bronny’s background, aside from his parentage, rarely step onto an NBA court, and even more rarely enjoy a career beyond their rookie contract.
Bronny wasn’t a five-star prospect in high school. He wasn’t a star in college, or even a starter. He has a very real health problem with his heart. He also does not have the size that would allow him to follow in his father’s footsteps as a versatile monster.
The early returns on Bronny are also not encouraging. He looked brutal in the Summer League, when he shot 32.7% from the field and 13% from three-point range, and he wasn’t much better in the preseason, shooting 29.4%. The Lakers also opted not to have him perform primary ball-handling duties during Summer League.
Simply put, guards who can’t shoot are not their team’s best ball handlers and are listed under a generous Six feet tall doesn’t last long in the NBA. The most important thing, though, isn’t evaluating what Bronny is now. It evaluates what he can be.
Even though he signed a guaranteed four-year NBA contract — another rarity for players his size — Bronny has said he is open to playing in the G League and the Lakers will likely talk him down to that instead of trying to sign him into the G League to drop. immediate rotation, Tuesday evening notwithstanding. With a season or two of development, Bronny could progress in ways that weren’t possible in his shortened college career.
