Part plan, part pipe dream, Lakers star LeBron James and oldest son Brony became the first father and son to share an NBA court together — a milestone that celebrates the elder James’ longevity and the younger James’ resilience.
With four minutes left in the second quarter of Tuesday night’s season opener against Minnesota at Crypto.com Arena, the two players walked toward the scorer’s table together, father and son making history when they entered the game. Bronie James missed his only field goal attempt and joined them with less than three minutes to play. It was rare.
“Apparently, this is the first time in this beautiful history of the NBA. A father (and) son have ever been on the same floor, let alone been on the same team, can grace the floor together,” LeBron James said. “So, I talked about it years ago, and this moment is coming, and it’s really cool. I don’t know if it’s actually going to hit both of us for a little minute where we actually sit back and say, ‘Oh, sheesh, that was beautiful, that was so Crazy’ should be.
Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr., the first father and son to play on the same team in Major League Baseball, attended the game. Hockey legend Gordy Howe and MLB Hall of Famer Tim Raines also played as teammates at the highest professional levels with their children.
When the Lakers opened their season, J.J. During Redick’s tenure as head coach, Anthony Davis led them as head coach. 110-103 opening night win.
It was the Lakers’ first win on opening night since 2016.
Davis had 36 points, 16 rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots, attacking Minnesota center Rudy Gobert with a combination of speed, skill and strength.
Lakers forward LeBron James (23) goes to his son, guard Brony James (9), before setting a screen on Minnesota’s Joe Ingles during the second quarter Tuesday night.
(Gina Ferrazzi/Los Angeles Times)
The Lakers used a second-quarter run to build a 19-point lead before each of their starters had a hand in holding Minnesota in the fourth.
Austin Reaves grabbed nine rebounds, Rui Hachimura scored 18 points and D’Angelo Russell helped the Lakers settle down in the fourth quarter, hitting a floater and a pair of layups for three consecutive scores.
Fittingly, James’ first three-pointer iced the game-winner — capping a night when the team made just five of 30 shots from deep. He started his 22nd season with 16 points.
LeBron James set his goal of playing with his oldest son in 2018 as a finish line moment in history. He said it would be a “dream” to play with Broney on the same team two years from now.
In this year’s NBA draft, that became a reality.
The Lakers used the 55th pick to select Bronie James, despite averaging 4.8 points per game in his first season at USC.
Anthony Davis drives to the basket against Minnesota center Nas Reed in the second half.
(Gina Ferrazzi/Los Angeles Times)
James, Dec. He didn’t make his debut for the Trojans until the 10th because of a near-death experience during summer practice on USC’s campus. On July 25, 2023, James suffered a heart attack and lost consciousness. USC athletic trainers used life-saving measures, including a defibrillator. He later underwent surgery to correct a congenital heart defect.
“If he’s able to grace an NBA floor, it could be tonight or anytime, knowing what he’s been through will be another one of those moments,” LeBron James said Tuesday morning. “I have two family members who have undergone heart surgery. Some of them are old and some are younger. Watching him play in a college Division I game the same year he had heart surgery was a ‘wow’ moment, knowing how long it takes to get you back.
“At that point, I knew nothing was going to stop him from getting this — anything he wanted to do. And he wanted to keep playing basketball.
Before Tuesday’s game, Nike released an ad where it filled James Broney’s car with Fruity Pebbles cereal.
“Thank God it wasn’t my car,” Bronnie James said.
“He’s got a lot of cars now. He opens it up and then gets into another one,” LeBron joked.
The two played four minutes together during one of the Lakers’ six preseason games, surprising LeBron James.
“We were standing next to each other and I looked at him and it was like, ‘Is this the Matrix or something?’ “It doesn’t feel real,” he said.
Postgame, Bronie James — who had struggled for most of the preseason — downplayed it.
“I came out and it felt like a normal game with my teammate to be honest,” Bronie James said.
But as the moment approaches, especially considering the adversity he faces in 2023, Bronie James’ NBA debut is more than just another game.
“Yeah,” he said, “that would be crazy.”
And — to make it even better — the Lakers won.
“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,” LeBron James said. Favorite basketball brand. We had it. We kept the main thing while we were on the ground. That’s good for all of us.”
