Before rising from the Lakers bench, LeBron James gave his 20-year-old son, Bronny, a pep talk. As the crowd’s cheers intensified, they walked together to the scorer’s table, stepping into basketball history.
AP News reports that on Tuesday night, during the Los Angeles Lakers’ season opener, LeBron and Bronny made history as the first father-son duo to play in an NBA game together, fulfilling a dream LeBron had envisioned years ago as the league’s all-time leading scorer.
“That moment, being at the scorer’s table together and checking in, it’s something I’ll never forget,” LeBron said. “No matter how old I get or how my memory might fade, that moment will stay with me forever.”
With four minutes left in the second quarter, both father and son entered the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, prompting a huge ovation from the crowd, who recognized the significance of the milestone. LeBron, 39, had already played 13 minutes before teaming up with his 20-year-old son for approximately two-and-a-half minutes on the court.
LeBron, a four-time NBA champion and 20-time All-Star, is considered one of the greatest players in the league’s history. Meanwhile, LeBron James Jr., known as Bronny, was drafted by the Lakers in the second round last summer. They are not only the first father-son pair to play in the NBA at the same time, but also on the same team.
“Y’all ready? You see the intensity, right? But play carefree,” LeBron told Bronny before they checked into the game, a moment captured by TNT cameras. “Don’t worry about mistakes. Just go out and play hard.” “I tried to stay focused and not get caught up in everything happening around me,” Bronny said. “I just wanted to go in as a rookie and not mess up. But I definitely felt the energy and appreciated the support from Laker Nation for both me and my dad.”
Their time on the court together was brief but intense, just as LeBron had predicted. LeBron, who ended the game with 16 points, missed two perimeter shots before making a dunk. Bronny grabbed an early offensive rebound, missed a tip-in, and later took his first NBA jump shot — a 3-pointer that narrowly missed. He left the game shortly after, receiving another ovation with 1:19 left in the second quarter. Bronny didn’t return to play in the Lakers’ 110-103 victory over Minnesota.
After the game, the two headed to the locker room together, but not before stopping to hug Savannah James, LeBron’s wife and Bronny’s mother, in the tunnel. Their entire family attended the historic game, which also happened to fall on little sister Zhuri’s 10th birthday.
Baseball legends Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr., who made similar history in Major League Baseball by playing together for the Seattle Mariners in 1990 and 1991, were courtside to witness the occasion. Before the game, the James’ and the Griffey’s met during warmups for photos and shared a meaningful chat between two iconic father-son duos.
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This article was originally published on diversitycomm.net.