Lakers’ LeBron James & Bronny James make history playing together for the first time
The historical significance of a father and son playing together can’t be overstated whether we’re talking about the NBA or any other professional sport.
While basketball fans have known for some time now that this moment would arrive, there was a sense of the surreal when it finally did. LeBron James standing alongside his son Bronny on the court and playing for the Los Angeles Lakers.
LeBron & Bronny make history
Sunday, October 6th, 2024 is a date to be remembered. It was on that day that Los Angeles Lakers icon LeBron James took the court with his son Bronny James Jr. to become the first father-son duo in the history of the NBA to play together on the same team.
Now, while there is a caveat in that technically it wasn’t an official NBA game, this is after still the preseason, one has to imagine that basketball fans won’t have to wait much longer before the Jameses do this for real. As for the details, Bronny entered what turned out to be a tight 118-114 loss to the Phoenix Suns in the second quarter of the contest. It was his second appearance so far and his father’s first given that LeBron sat out the Lakers’ first preseason game.
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Where that first outing is concerned, it was plain to see that Bronny was nervous on his debut, going 1-for-6 from the field and missing his only 3-point attempt. However, it should be said that he also notched three blocks, one assist, and one rebound. As for Sunday’s game, it’s worth noting that it also fell on Bronny’s birthday which is to say, he couldn’t have asked for a better gift. Of course, it remains unclear as to how often fans will get to see this scene during the coming season, with new Lakers head coach JJ Redick having already indicated that Bronny will spend some time with the team’s G-League affiliate, but that takes nothing away from how historic the moment was.
Consider for a moment that a father and son playing together is not just an amazing accomplishment in professional basketball but in the world of professional sports as a whole. Whether we’re talking about the field, the court, or even the ice, few have managed to become part of that small group in history. Of those that stand out, we’ve got Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. who became MLB’s first father-son duo to play together back in 1990 as members of Seattle Mariners’ roster. There was also football player Ted Nesser - born in 1883 - who played with his son Charlie in what is today the NFL. This is all to say, LeBron and Bronny are now in rare company and they’ve only just begun.