The Los Angeles Lakers‘ opening night turned into a historic event as the team’s star, LeBron James, and his son Bronny James made NBA history as the first father-son duo to play together.
The moment came with four minutes remaining in the second quarter, and the two shared the court for almost three minutes. It was an absolutely special moment that will remain forever in the history of basketball.
Before the start of the season, rumors were circulating indicating that LeBron and Bronny James would share the court early in the season for the Lakers, and this came true, with Lakers fans celebrating this historic debut.
LeBron spoke after the game about that moment, saying that sharing the court with his son is something he’ll never forget. “Mission No. 1 was for us to come out and play well and to win. It was my first win on opening night as a Laker. I wanted to get that done,” LeBron said. “I think, as a team, we played as close to 48 minutes of a complete game as well as we could play in a while, so that was great. The game within the game, obviously, that moment of us being at the scorer’s table together and checking in together is something I will never forget no matter how old I get, no matter how my memory may fade as I get older, whatever. I will never forget that moment.“
The first ever father-son duo to play in an NBA game together Shoutout to LeBron and Bronny James
“And also, my daughter, his little sister, her turning 10. Everything was just great today. Everything. Everything was great. From the moment I woke up, I saw my daughter before she went to school. Went to work, saw my son at work. Got to the game and just everything, man. The whole family. It was a great moment. For Laker Nation, the way we played tonight. Hopefully, we continue to play that brand of basketball all throughout the year, and for our family, it was a big one.”
see also
NBA News: LeBron James' teammate reflects on JJ Redick's coaching impact with the Lakers
The remarkable moment for LeBron James
LeBron James, when asked about the difference between the moments he has lived throughout his successful career and this moment of his son Bronny’s debut with him in the NBA, was clear. “I mean, for obvious reasons. I mean, obviously, this is the first time in this beautiful history of the NBA that this has ever happened, to be on the same floor, let alone be on the same team, to be able to grace the floor together,” LeBron said.
“So that was just, I talked about it years and years ago, and for this moment to come, it’s pretty cool. I don’t know that it’s going to actually hit the both of us for a little minute where we really get to sit back. But, oh shoot, that was pretty crazy. But in the moment, like you said, we still had a job to do when we checked in. We weren’t trying to make it a circus. We weren’t trying to make it about us. We wanted to make it about the team, for us to go out there and continue to play the brand of basketball that the coaching staff and our teammates want us to play. We kept that, kept the main thing, the main thing while we were on the floor, and that was good for all of us.” LeBron added.
A memorable debut for LeBron and Bronny with the Lakers
During the game, LeBron made a great play to find Bronny wide open on the wing for a three-pointer that seemed, however, to only graze the hoop. LeBron finished with 16 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two blocks, while Bronny missed both of his shot attempts in his NBA debut.
Bronny’s fight to reach the NBA with the Lakers
Bronny James had a serious health issue before his only college season at USC. His father LeBron praised Bronny’s mentality when this particular situation happened and praised the hard work, he has put in to achieve the goal.
