LeBron James made his long-awaited season debut on Tuesday in the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 140-126 win over the Utah Jazz at Crypto.com Arena. While one member of the James family had been unavailable for the Lakers for so long, another one was suiting up for them.
Bronny James played his 10th game of the season against the Jazz, and LeBron was asked postgame how pleased he was seeing the growth in his son’s game.
“It’s been great to see, to watch,” LeBron said. “He’s still young. I mean, obviously, just turned 21 not too long ago, and he’s still learning. Still getting better with each and every rep. I think he’s enjoying the process. I think you can obviously ask him more than me.
“He’s not a resident anymore, so we don’t talk as much,” LeBron added. “He has his own place.”
Lebron on Bronny:
“I think he’s enjoying the process, I think you can obviously ask him more than me. He’s not a resident anymore so we don’t talk as much, he has his own place” 😂 pic.twitter.com/u9s2vJ4bbr
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) November 19, 2025
That was hilarious. Bronny did appear to be living with the rest of the family during his rookie season, but has moved out now. That might not be a permanent arrangement, though. LeBron is reportedly having two mega mansions built for himself and Bronny in Beverly Hills. To say they seem luxurious might be an understatement.
As for what LeBron did on his debut on the court on Tuesday, he put up 11 points (4-7 FG), three rebounds, 12 assists, and one steal. Bronny, meanwhile, had three points (1-1 FG) and two assists off the bench. He had started the last game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday, but was back on the bench here.
Bronny did not impress against the Bucks, going scoreless in just under 10 minutes. Lakers head coach JJ Redick also cussed him out for passing up two wide-open three-pointers in the opening minutes.
Bronny is now averaging 2.1 points, 0.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game in 2025-26. The 55th pick of the 2024 NBA Draft has shown improvement in some areas of his game in his sophomore season, but he still isn’t good enough to be an integral part of the Lakers’ rotation. His father’s return from sciatica has only pushed him further down the order.
LeBron James On His Season Debut
This game against the Jazz was LeBron’s first since Game 5 of the first-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves on April 30. The 40-year-old, who made NBA history by becoming the first player to play a 23rd season, admitted postgame that he was struggling just a little bit at the start.
“Wind was a little shaky to begin,” LeBron stated. “Obviously, that was expected. But as the game went on and on, my wind got a lot better, got my second wind, got my third wind. Rhythm is still coming back, obviously. First game in quite a while, in almost seven months.
“So, everything that happened tonight was as expected,” LeBron continued. “I think the pace, versus a team like Utah, who play with a lot of pace, a lot of movement, a lot of cutting, and things of that nature, tested us, tested me obviously. I was happy with the way I was able to keep up with the guys.”
LeBron was getting more and more in sync with his Lakers teammates as the game went on. The 21-time All-Star had six assists in the fourth quarter to help the Lakers pull away from the Jazz. When asked about connecting with new arrivals like Jake LaRavia and Deandre Ayton on some plays, LeBron had a simple message.
“I can fit in with anybody,” James said. “I don’t understand why that was even a question. What’s wrong with these people out here?”
Concerns about how LeBron would fit in with this Lakers team always seemed overblown. Even if there were any struggles early on, the group was going to do well with him as time went on.
LeBron now gets a nice little break after his first game, as the Lakers take on the Jazz again next at the Delta Center on Sunday at 8 PM ET.
