Ever since the Los Angeles Lakers decided to draft Bronny James, the son of LeBron James, anticipation was building for the two to share the floor together. While they did it during the preseason, the regular season solidifies this moment in the history books as the first father and son duo to play together in the NBA.
Once LeBron entered the latter stages of his career, he made it clear that he wanted to play with his oldest son. Seeing how the 39-year-old has maintained a high level of play through 20-plus seasons, he finally got his wish.
As Opening Night approached for the Lakers, many wondered if the James’ were going to play together. With signs pointing to them playing before tip-off, it ended up happening in the middle of the second quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena:
NBA history as LeBron and Bronny James share the court together for the first time. pic.twitter.com/h4DGSgwVHP
— Daniel Starkand (@DStarkand) October 23, 2024
The first ever father-son duo to play in an NBA game together
Shoutout to LeBron and Bronny James pic.twitter.com/OmoYuTkYUG
— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) October 23, 2024
LeBron and Bronny playing together officially marks the first time a father and son have played together in NBA history, let alone on the same team. This is a moment that will never be forgotten, especially for the James family.
While it was a short-lived moment, Bronny got to experience his first regular season game next to his father in addition to playing at Crypto.com Arena for the first time in front of Lakers fans, which is a one-of-one experience, especially for a 20-year-old.
With the Lakers continuing with 81 more games, it is expected that Bronny will spend the majority of his rookie season in the G League to continue his development. But head coach JJ Redick acknowledged the situation at hand and wanted to make sure the two were able to have their moment and not let it linger.
Bronny James excited to see Ken Griffey Jr. & Sr. on Opening Night
The NBA has yet to see a father and son play together until now, however, that is not the case for other professional sports. Notably, Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr. were teammates with the Seattle Mariners during the 1990 and 1991 MLB seasons.
For the Griffey’s to make their own history and then witness history in attendance at the Lakers game on Tuesday night must have been a wholesome moment for them.
Heading into Opening Night, Bronny James was informed about Griffey Sr. and Jr. being in attendance for his historic moment with his father LeBron and the former USC Trojan was excited to know that those two were there to witness it.
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