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LOS ANGELES — LeBron James and Bronny James grew to become the primary father and son to play within the NBA collectively Tuesday evening in the course of the the Los Angeles Lakers ‘ season opener.
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LeBron and Bronny checked into the sport along with 4 minutes left within the second quarter, prompting a giant ovation from a house crowd conscious of the enormity of the milestone. LeBron had already began the sport and performed 13 minutes earlier than he teamed up together with his 20-year-old son to make historical past.
LeBron James is the 39-year-old prime scorer in NBA historical past, whereas LeBron James Jr. was a second-round decide by the Lakers final summer time. They’re the primary father and son to play on the planet’s prime basketball league on the identical time, not to mention on the identical workforce.
“Y’all prepared? You see the depth, proper? Simply play carefree, although,” father instructed son on the bench earlier than they checked in, an trade captured by the TNT cameras and microphones. “Don’t fear about errors. Simply exit and play arduous.”
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LeBron and Bronny performed 2 1/2 minutes on court docket collectively, and LeBron missed two perimeter pictures earlier than making a dunk. Bronny had an early rebound and missed a tip-in.
Bronny’s first NBA leap shot was a 3-pointer that got here up simply brief. He checked out with 1:19 left within the second quarter, getting one other ovation.
Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. had been courtside on the Lakers’ downtown area to witness the identical historical past they made in Main League Baseball. The 2 sluggers performed 51 video games collectively for the Seattle Mariners in 1990 and 1991 as baseball’s first father-son duo.
The Jameses and the Griffeys met up throughout pregame warmups for some images and a heat chat between two outstanding household traces.
LeBron, a four-time NBA champion and a 20-time All-Star, first spoke about his dream to play alongside Bronny a couple of years in the past, whereas his oldest son was nonetheless in highschool. The dream grew to become actual after Bronny entered the draft as a teen following one collegiate season, and the Lakers grabbed him with the fifty fifth general decide.
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LeBron and Bronny joined a small membership of father-son skilled athletes who performed collectively. The Griffeys made historical past 34 years in the past, they usually even homered in the identical recreation on Sept. 14, 1990.
Baseball Corridor of Famer Tim Raines and his namesake son additionally completed the feat with the Baltimore Orioles in 2001.
In hockey, Gordie Howe performed alongside his two sons, Mark and Marty, with the WHA’s Houston Aeros and Crew Canada earlier than one NHL season collectively on the Hartford Whalers in 1979-80, when Gordie was 51.
Whereas the opposite household pairings on this checklist occurred late within the fathers’ careers, LeBron exhibits no indicators of slowing down or regressing as he begins his NBA record-tying twenty second season.
LeBron averaged greater than 25 factors per recreation final yr for his twentieth consecutive season, and he stays a very powerful participant on the Lakers alongside Anthony Davis as they try to recapture the shape that received a championship in 2020 and bought them to the Western Convention finals in 2023.
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Bronny survived cardiac arrest and open coronary heart surgical procedure in the summertime of 2023, and he went on to play a truncated freshman season on the College of Southern California. He declared for the draft anyway, and the Lakers eagerly used the fourth-to-last decide within the draft on the 6-foot-2 guard.
LeBron spent the summer time in Europe with the gold medal-winning U.S. workforce on the Paris Olympics, whereas Bronny performed for the Lakers in summer time league. They began training along with the Lakers earlier than coaching camp.
“It’s been a deal with,” LeBron stated at Tuesday’s morning shootaround. “In preseason, the practices, simply daily … bringing him in control of what this skilled life is all about, and put together daily as knowledgeable.”
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The duo first performed collectively within the preseason, logging 4 minutes throughout a recreation towards Phoenix simply outdoors Palm Springs earlier this month.
The Lakers had been totally conscious of the historical past they might make with this pairing, and coach JJ Redick spoke with the Jameses lately a few plan to make it occur early within the common season.
The presence of the Griffeys possible made it an inevitability for opening evening, though Redick stated the Lakers nonetheless wished it “to occur naturally, within the stream of the sport.”
The Lakers have declined to invest on how lengthy Bronny will keep on their NBA roster. Los Angeles additionally has level guards D’Angelo Russell, Gabe Vincent and Jalen Hood-Schifino, which possible makes minutes scarce for Bronny, who possible wants common taking part in time to boost his recreation to a constant NBA normal.
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These elements add as much as point out Bronny is more likely to find yourself with the affiliate South Bay Lakers of the G League at some point. LeBron and Redick have each spoken positively concerning the South Bay workforce, saying that participant growth is a key a part of the Lakers group.
Miami ahead Kevin Love, who knew all of the James kids — Bronny, Bryce and Zhuri — from his time as LeBron James’ teammate in Cleveland, stated it was “an unbelievable second” to see father and son taking part in collectively.
“I grew up a Mariners fan, so I bought to see Griffey after which Griffey Sr. However that is completely different, as a result of LeBron continues to be a top-five participant within the league,” Love stated. “This recreation, man. It’s why we’ve that ($76 billion) TV deal. The storylines and the issues that occur like this, it’s an unbelievable story. That is actually cool to see.”
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