A landmark moment for basketball took place on Tuesday, Oct. 22. Bronny James, 20, and his father, LeBron James, 39, shared the court during the Lakers’ opening night game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Not only was it Bronny’s first game as a rookie, but it was also the first time a father-son duo had played together in the NBA. Bronny was the No. 55 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Of course the rest of the James family was present at the Crypto.com Arena to support the father-son duo in their first game together. LeBron’s long-time wife Savannah James, and Bronny’s siblings, Bryce Maximus, 17, and Zhuri Nova, 10, were at the game showing moral support.
The Lakers won the game 110 to 103; LeBron bagged 16 points, five rebounds and four assists. Bronny, on the other hand, didn’t score any points, had one rebound and zero assists. The rookie played for three minutes in the second quarter.
After their close win, Bronny and LeBron shared their thoughts during a press interview.
“Crazy moment I will never forget,” Bronny said about his first game with the Lakers.
As for LeBron, “It’s always been family over everything. To be able to have this moment working still and working alongside my son, it’s one of the greatest gifts I got from the man above and I’m going to take full advantage of it.”
Playing with the Laker is a major feat for the 20-year-old considering last year he suffered a cardiac arrest in July 2023. By August, the then 19-year-old was diagnosed with “an anatomically and functionally significant congenital heart defect” which led to surgery and a rehabilitation process.
Fast forward a year plus later, the Lakers player is now hitting the court with his father. That said, Bronny is still in a recovery phase as he disclosed during a recent interview with Men’s Health.
“My days aren’t normal anymore,” Bronny said to the magazine during an interview. “I still feel like I’m getting back, I’m getting back to where I was.”
He added that he focused on getting “on top of my routines to get back to where I was,” while recovering last summer. “I had to do breathing exercises and stuff. It was a total reset,” he shared.
Cheers to Black families making history and doing so gracefully! Here are some images from the historic game that took place below.
