LeBron James shot through the lane and slammed home a left-handed hammer. He jumped through the air to deflect a shot. On the first night of Year 22 – albeit during the pre-season – not much had changed and James was doing the kind of things he’s been doing on the court for a generation. Before halftime, he scored 19 points for the Lakers against the Phoenix Suns.
But on Sunday night early in the second quarter, he revealed his latest — and perhaps greatest — trick.
LeBron James and his oldest son, Bronjoshared the court together for the first time as professionals for a four-minute, nine-second stint. It was the first time father and son played together in NBA history.
Although the duo’s debut won’t be official NBA history until they play together during the regular season, Sunday was the first look at the biggest testament to James’ longevity as not only a professional — but as one of the best of the connection
Fittingly, it was Sunday Brony James’20th birthday
“It’s surreal — doing two-on-two, pick-and-rolls together in practice. It will be fun when they are together on the court,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said foreplay. “I’m excited about it. I’m very honored that I can be a part of history.”
Seen as a potential distraction by some NBA insiders, the early returns of the duo playing together have been almost universally positive. saturday, D’Angelo Russell said he enjoyed seeing the off-court moments between the first father-son duo in NBA history.
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“You kind of see the words of wisdom that Bron drops whenever he gets the chance. Pulling his little one to the side, dropping jewels whenever he gets the chance,” Russell said. “I mean, that’s a secret. That’s cheating on the test, isn’t it? You have someone who has all the answers.”
On Sunday, the pair did not put on a standout play to help celebrate their milestone. The closest they came was when LeBron James flipped the ball to his son, but the Lakers’ rookie guard missed the three-pointer.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
