Bronny James made his NBA debut in the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves season opener tonight, checking in the second quarter of the contest as the Lakers enjoyed a 16-point lead. LeBron James was on the court at the time, marking a historic moment as LeBron and Bronny became the first father-son duo in NBA history to share the court during a game.
LeBron James.
Bronny James.
The first father-son duo to play together in the NBA! pic.twitter.com/naadFLoPmh
— NBA (@NBA) October 23, 2024
Bronny checked into the game with four minutes left when the score was 51-35 in the Lakers’ favor. He didn’t have a great start on the court, with his first play seeing Julius Randle punish him on a switch for a layup. His first shot attempt was also blocked by Randle. Bronny’s overall aggressiveness saw him make active efforts to positively impact the game.
James was seen giving Bronny advice on the bench during the game.
“You ready? You see the intensity right? Just play carefree, though. Don’t worry about mistakes, go out and play hard.”
"Just play carefree"
LeBron was mic'd up next to Bronny on the bench 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/x3uKYIt6YX
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) October 23, 2024
This game featured legendary MLB duo Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. in attendance, the first father-son duo in MLB history to play together.
Prior to the season opener, LeBron shared a video of him pranking Bronny as part of the traditional rookie hazing by filling his car up with Fruity Pebbles.
Don’t be late ROOK! 🤣🤴🏾👑🫡 pic.twitter.com/zxR6O8ewJp
— LeBron James (@KingJames) October 22, 2024
Bronny’s stint in the game ended with 1:29 left in the second quarter, as he was subbed off after snagging one rebound and going 0-2 from the field, with one of those attempts coming from three-point range.
It doesn’t seem likely that Bronny gets more minutes in this game outside of garbage time, as he was a -5 in the 2 minutes and 31 seconds he ended up playing. Nonetheless, it was a historic moment that the team needed to get out of the way to avoid speculation of a Bronny debut before every game this season.
Bronny’s participation in future NBA games will be a major question mark, as the Lakers guard has been expected by many to be sent to the G League for a stint after making his debut. If that happens, Bronny will have to find a way to survive in the extremely competitive G and show the Lakers he’s valuable enough to get rotational minutes.
LeBron On Having Bronny As A Teammate
The storyline of LeBron and Bronny playing together has been one of the biggest talking points about the Lakers all summer long. While it has brought forth a lot of criticism regarding nepotism in the NBA, it has been something garnering a lot of attention and putting pressure on Bronny that we had never seen for a No. 55 pick before.
LeBron opened up on what it was like to have his son as a teammate, saying it meant everything to him.
“For a father, it means everything. It’s a special feeling, a different feeling, to work with him. When you go to work every day, you want to try to help each other. If it’s a bad day for him, you pick him up. … There are things we can do that don’t even need words. We can just look at each other and know.”
LeBron’s minutes this season won’t be questioned at any point as he’s still one of the best players in the NBA in his 22nd NBA season. Bronny’s minutes for the main team will be scrutinized whenever he gets that opportunity, but at least his debut is over and everyone can start focusing on the Lakers chances to be a Playoff team this season.
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