LeBron, and Bronny Play Together and make History as father and son take court together for The Lakers.
We can recall, two seasons ago, when LeBron James made history by exceeding NBA’s all-time leading scorer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s tally, Bronny, James’ oldest son was only sitting along the baseline in the courtside.
Just last night, Tuesday night, in the Los Angeles Laker’s first match of the season against the Minnesota Timberwolves, LeBron James and His oldest son, Bronny, went down in the history of the game by being on the basketball court together.
The record is that Lebron James and Bronny have become the first father-son duo who played on a team together, when they both checked in with four minutes to go in the second quarter of the game, in the history of the NBA.
LeBron played thirteen minutes from the beginning, he was taken off and came back on with his son for the record-breaking moment.
After the match, LeBron and Bronny got up from their bench and approached the scorer’s table, then the Crypto.com Arena crowd would not hold back their excitement and immediately, was quaked with cheers following LeBron’s claim that his son ripped their warm-ups to officially step onto the court.
LeBron stated in a joint-post game conference with Bronny: “That moment, us being at the scorer’s table together and checking in together, something I will never forget.”
“No matter how old I get, no matter how my memory may fade as I get older or whatever, I will never forget that moment.”
Meanwhile, this event has added extra pressure and weight on Bronny for being his first regular season−apparently, season game of his career.
“I tried not to focus on everything that was going on around me and tried to focus on going in as a rookie and not trying to mess up,” Bronny noted.
“But yeah, I did feel the energy, and I appreciate the Laker Nation for showing the support for me and my dad.”
LeBron, Bronny Play Together, Make History
The Lakers were dusted behind with 7-2 in the first shift involving Lebron and Bronny together, with the son misfired on three different occasions by missing open on the three wings and also getting marked by Rudy Gobert on a tip-in effort while attempting a rebound.
The crowd erupted after Bronny attempted the three following a pass he got from LeBron James, his dad.
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Anthony Davis, who put up 36 points, 16 rebounds and 3 blocks to put Los Angeles ahead.
He said he became eased when he saw the pair exchange passes.
“We wanted that 3 to go in,” “Bronny threw it to him, and we wanted for that to go in.
But just looking at them checking in at the same time at the scorer’s table, it gave me like a little chill,” Anthony said.
Bronny decided to check out with 1:19 minute left in the game and did not return for the Lakers in their 110-103 win over Timberwolves Lakers.
LeBron finished the game on sixteen points, five rebounds and four assists while Bronny only managed to record one rebound and was 0-2 from the field.
Bronny was picked by the Lakers in the second round of the NBA draft with the No. 55 pick, hardly impressed during preseason and averaging 4.2 points on 29.7% shooting from the field.
But he eventually ended the campaign on high after scoring seventeen points on seven-for-seven shooting with four rebounds and three steals in a loss to the Golden State Warriors.
Lakers coach JJ Redick, who has been the coach for five years, encouraged Bronny by featuring him in all six of Los Angeles’ exhibition games.
He also encouraged him by briefly lining up LeBron and Bronny, together, in the second quarter of a match against Phoenix Suns in 6th October, 2024.
Redick, before the Timberwolves game, expressed his excitement as he said was “thrilled to be a part” of the “historic” occasion of LeBron and Bronny playing together on a team.
He said sought suggestions from LeBron and Bronny on how they would want to be featured together for the first time.
“We had a couple of conversations around it,” Redick said. “I think everybody is on the same page. We want it to sort of make sense, and we want it to happen naturally and in the flow of a game.”
The Lakers began the second quarters on a 29-12 stretch, with LeBron and Bronny featuring while their team remained on top.
LeBron, Bronny Play Together, Make History
“We had a job to do when we checked in,” LeBron said. “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 game, the brand of basketball that the coaching staff and our teammates wanted us to play.
“We kept that. We kept the main thing while we were on the floor. And that was good for all of us.”
Pictured along the baseline where Bronny sat, watched LeBron, his dad, break Adul-Jabbar’s record for the most number of points scored by an NBA player was another father-son (Ken Griffey Jr. and Ken Griffey Sr.) due who broke similar record in the Major League Baseball (MLB)−also in attendance.
“To know that those guys will be in attendance tonight while me and Bronny are on the same team is a pretty cool moment in the history of sports,” LeBron said.
Photo Credit: Clutchpoints
Before the game, LeBron and Bronny embarked on a quick break to pay homage to the Griffeys and took pictures with them on the court.
Yesterday’s father-son appearance in a single match on a team will be the fourth instance in the history of professional sports.
Aside from the Griffeys and the Jameses comes the Hockey legend Gordie Howe who also featured with two of his sons, Mark and Marty, in single matches for the Hartford Whalers in 1980 which recorded the first occurrence of such instance in the NHL.
Tim Raines Sr. and Tim Raines Jr. also featured together in a single match for the Baltimore Orioles on 4th October, 2001.
The Griffeys featured together in single matches for the Seattle Mariners for two seasons between 1990 and 1991. It can be recalled that during this period, they recorded success-filled home runs on 14th September 1990.
“As my dad would say, you got to have longevity as an older guy and your son has got to be pretty good to get there pretty quick,” Ken Griffey Jr. told ESPN after the game.
The baseball legend disclosed the genesis of his enduring relationship with LeBron James, a fellow Nike-endorsed sportsman.
“LeBron’s first Christmas [in the NBA] was in Orlando, and he spent it at my house,” he said.
“So, we’ve been friends ever since he’s 18. I tell everybody, wherever he’s at, that’s where I’m a fan.”
What brought the biggest happiness for the Jameses was not only playing together but recording a victory on the historic day.
“This is the first time we had a LeBron moment that was something huge and we won,” Davis said.
“Every other thing we’ve always lost, so it kind of kills the moment. But it was a special moment for everybody.”
LeBron and Bronny Play Together and make History. LeBron, and Bronny Play Together, Making History
LeBron, Bronny Play Together, Make History