LeBron James and his eldest son Bronny are officially the first father-son duo to take the court together in NBA history.
The feat teased for years and locked in at the 2024 NBA Draft took place in the Los Angeles Lakers’ season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday. The elder James was in the starting lineup, but had to wait until eight minutes into the second quarter for his son to appear.
After the pair checked in, they received a familiar standing ovation:
Some microphones also caught LeBron offering some fatherly advice before the two checked in.
The two took the court together earlier in preseason, with LeBron later tweeting that it was “SUREAL.” You can only wonder how Tuesday felt, especially after so many years of anticipation.
LeBron James has been pushing to play with Bronny for years
LeBron has hinted for years that he planned to play alongside his son, even going so far as to say he would spend his final season paying with Bronny in 2022, when Bronny was a junior in high school. Even for a four-star recruit like Bronny, those are high expectations.
Bronny’s road to the NBA ended up being more turbulent than expected. He chose to stay close to home and play for USC in college, but a congenital heart defect significantly delayed his debut and he was little more than a reserve when he started playing, averaging 4.8 points in 19.6 minutes per game.
However, LeBron James’ child will attract attention from NBA front offices. Bronny was one of the biggest enigmas of the draft, with joint agent Rich Paul publicly insisting there was no behind-the-scenes engineering to ensure LeBron would play with his son. Regardless, few were surprised when the Lakers selected Bronny with the 55th overall pick.
There was some question as to whether Bronny was going to see NBA action considering that he is basically an end-of-the-bench player for the Lakers, but the team decided to get rid of the father-son story quickly.
Ken Griffey Jr. and Sr. on hand to welcome LeBron and Bronny to a small club
Two of the few people who understand what Tuesday’s moment meant to the James family were present at Crypto.com Arena.
Ken Griffey Jr. and Sr., who played together for the Seattle Mariners in 1990 and 1991, chose to watch the story together.
Throughout major North American sports history, the list of fathers and sons who have played together are few and decades between them. Gordie Howe was the first to do it when he played with his sons Mark and Marty for the 1979-1980 Hartford Whalers. The Griffeys followed in the 90s, then Tim Raines Sr. and Jr did it in 2001 on the Baltimore Orioles.
In all those previous cases, however, it was an aging and out-of-his-prime father making his way to where his son or sons were playing. LeBron is the only one who brought his son to him.
What else can Bronny James do in the NBA?
For Bronny, playing legal professional sports with your father is an experience few people ever get to have. However, it is probably not the main reason he chose this line of work.
If Bronny wants to have a long-term NBA career — if he wants to be known for something other than being LeBron James’ son — he’s got a lot of work ahead of him. It’s not unfair to say that players with Bronny origins, aside from his parentage, rarely make an NBA court, and even more rarely enjoy a career beyond their rookie contract.
Bronny was not a five-star talent in high school. He wasn’t a star in college, or even a starter. He has a very real health problem with his heart. He also doesn’t have the size that would allow him to follow in his father’s footsteps as a versatile monster.
The early returns on Bronny were not encouraging either. He looked brutal in Summer League, shooting 32.7% from the field and 13% from 3-point range, and wasn’t much better in preseason, shooting 29.4%. The Lakers too opted against having him handle primary ball-playing duties during Summer League.
Simply put, guards who can’t shoot are not their team’s primary ball handler and are listed at generous 6-foot-4 doesn’t last long in the NBA. However, the important part is not to evaluate what Bronny is now. It is to estimate what he can be.
Even though he signed a guaranteed four-year NBA contract — another rarity for players of his stature — Bronny said he’s open to playing in the G-League and the Lakers will likely take him on that rather than try to drop him into the G-League. rotation immediately, Tuesday night notwithstanding. With a season or two of development, Bronny could progress in a way that was not possible in his shortened college career.
