PHOTO USA Today Sports Images Fathers, sons, and sports form a link that predates the NBA history made Tuesday night and is sure to transcend it well after.
Smile or squirm, there’s no denying Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James and his son turned teammate, Bronny, forged a unique piece of the chain by becoming the first dad and lad to play in the Association together.
Forget Christmas. Bring a Kid to Work Day came early.
While James, 39, will have the luxury of suiting up alongside his 20-year-old for at least this season, he surely savored the novelty Tuesday. He did so while helping the Lakers defeat the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves, which—exhale now, haters—was the focus for much of a national TV broadcast.
“Now that that’s out of the way,” NBA on TNT analyst Shaquille O’Neal said postgame, “the Lakers did a great job of doing what they want in the paint.”
Accomplishing that objective required a meaningful moment on the Lakers’ bench, too. With four minutes remaining in the second quarter, the James Gang checked into the game together to a standing ovation.
Moments before, as captured by TNT, LeBron dispensed advice to Bronny, a second-round pick from USC.
“You feel the intensity, right?” LeBron said. “Just play carefree, though. Don’t worry about mistakes. Go out and play hard.”
Los Angeles led by 16 points when Bronny entered the game. He logged 2:41 before returning to the bench, a stint that satiated the crowd, put a huge checkmark on rookie coach JJ Redick’s to-do list, and nearly offered an iconic moment.
Alas, Bronny missed an open 3-pointer from the left wing off a crisp pass from his Pops. Box-score wise, Bronny finished 0-for-2 from the floor with an offensive rebound and minus-five rating, but little minutiae registered with LeBron.
“That was something I’ll never forget, no matter how old I get or how my memory may fade,” he said. “Everything was just great today. Everything.”
Bronny agreed.
“Going up to the scorer’s table with my dad and checking in for the first time—that’s a crazy moment I will never forget,” he said.
Fellow LA rookie Dalton Knecht, a first-rounder from Tennessee, played 16 minutes Thursday, second most among Lakers reserves.
O’Neal’s TNT counterpart, Charles Barkley, spent far more face time analyzing Knecht’s contributions than Bronny’s, a trend likely to continue this season.
Bronny averaged 1.6 points and 1.2 rebounds during preseason while shooting just 20% from the floor, which suggests some seasoning with the South Bay Lakers of the NBA G League could be in store.
Bronny was just a few months from turning 6 when LeBron announced he was taking his talents to South Beach. Tuesday offered a remarkable full-circle moment.
“For me, I lost a lot of time because of this league,” LeBron said, “committing to this league, being on the road… To be able to have this moment where I’m working still and I can work alongside my son—it’s one of the greatest gifts I’ve ever got from the man above. I’m going to take full advantage of it.”