The Lakers picked LeBron’s 20-year-old son within the NBA Draft in June, making them the primary father-son duo in the identical staff.
LeBron James and his eldest son Bronny James have claimed a bit of NBA historical past, making their long-awaited first look alongside one another for the Los Angeles Lakers.
The duo appeared collectively on Sunday at the beginning of the second quarter within the Lakers’ 118-114 preseason defeat to the Phoenix Suns in Palm Desert, east of Los Angeles.
Whereas LeBron impressed with 19 factors in simply 16 minutes and 20 seconds on court docket earlier than sitting out the second half, Bronny discovered the going tougher with zero factors in little greater than 13 minutes on court docket. The youthful James tried only one shot.
“It was cool for each of us, particularly our household,” LeBron James, 39, stated after enjoying alongside Bronny, who celebrated his twentieth birthday on Sunday. “It’s undoubtedly a second I’ll always remember.
“As a father it means every little thing. For somebody who didn’t have a dad rising up, to have the ability to have that affect in your son, to have the ability to have moments along with your son, to work along with your son – that’s one of many biggest issues a father may ever hope for.”
James senior admitted although that there have been moments on court docket that felt surreal.
“We got here out of a timeout and we form of stood subsequent to one another. I form of checked out him. It was like being in The Matrix or one thing. It simply didn’t really feel actual. But it surely was nice to have these moments.”
Anticipation about when the James duo would turn out to be the primary father-son duo to seem in the identical NBA lineup collectively has constructed because the Lakers picked Bronny with the fifty fifth decide within the NBA Draft in June.
“I’m thrilled that I get to be part of this,” new Lakers coach JJ Redick stated after the James double act.
“It’s cool as a basketball fan. I believe it speaks to the longevity of LeBron and his aggressive stamina. And it speaks to the work that Bronny has executed to get so far.”
Redick launched Bronny James to the ground, with the Lakers main 34-25 within the second quarter.
LeBron James has stated enjoying with Bronny on the identical staff has given him a brand new lease on life as he enters the twenty second season of a glittering profession.
“It’s a whole lot of pleasure, a pure pleasure, to have the ability to come to work day by day, put in laborious work along with your son day by day and have the ability to see him proceed to develop,” James stated.
“We push one another. He pushes me. I push him. We push our teammates, and vice versa. So it’s only a very joyous second not just for myself, however for our household.
“So it’s fairly superior. Offers you a whole lot of life.”
Bronny stated on the Lakers’ latest media day he was fuelled by the phrases of critics who’ve recommended he owes his place on the Lakers roster totally to his celebrity father.
“I’m simply taking all that stuff, that criticism and backlash that folks have given me and turning it into one thing that may gas me,” he stated.
Bronny is anticipated to spend most of his rookie season within the developmental G League reasonably than the Lakers senior squad.
The Lakers open their 2024-25 common season marketing campaign with a house sport towards the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 22.
