It’s a preseason game, it’s not official as far as the NBA is concerned, but it is a milestone.
LeBron James and his son Bronny James shared the court for the first time on Sunday night in the Lakers exhibition against the Suns. The 4:09 shift was the first time a father and son combo has been together on an NBA court and it required LeBron entering his 22nd NBA season and a son who got drafted and is a rookie.
LeBron James. Bronny James.
— NBA (@NBA) October 7, 2024
The father-son duo share the court for the first time together! 👏 pic.twitter.com/93hC7k64gK
Lakers coach J.J. Redick said postgame that he put LeBron and Bronny in together at the start of the second quarter so they could be in the flow of the game.
This was LeBron’s preseason debut and he picked where he left off at the Paris Olympics, scoring 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting with five rebounds and four assists in 16 minutes of play. Bronny was scoreless in his 13 minutes on the court.
LeBron’s reaction to playing with his son?
WOW THAT WAS SURREAL!! 🥺🥺🥺🙌🏾🙌🏾
— LeBron James (@KingJames) October 7, 2024
“We stood next to each other, I kind of looked at him and was like this is the Matrix or something. It just didn’t feel real,” LeBron said postgame.
Bronny has consistently said he is trying to treat LeBron as a teammate and not his father, but the experience was surreal for him as well.
Bronny James on playing alongside his dad: “I'm always thinking 'That's my Dad' because, literally, that's my dad.”
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) October 7, 2024
Bronny has looked solid on defense in his two preseason outings, but his offensive game has a long way to go before he can regularly crack the Lakers rotation. That was expected, he was always considered a project.
Redick has said his goal is to get LeBron and Bronny on the court together in an NBA game early, maybe even the opening night game against the Timberwolves. Ultimately, Bronny is expected to spend a lot of time this season in the G-League with the South Bay Lakers, but that season doesn’t start until a couple of weeks after the NBA season opens. LeBron and Bronny can have their moment, then the Lakers can keep their focus on the business of the season.
Meaning expect a repeat of what we saw on Sunday in just a couple of weeks, but this time in a game that will be official.
