This time, in an official competition match, LeBron James and his son Bronny made history. It was with four minutes remaining in the second quarter of the opening duel of the NBA season, when father and son entered the court of the Crypto Arena, the home of the Los Angeles Lakers, in the match that they ended up winning over the Minnesota Timberwolves. (110-103). An image never before seen in the American competition, two generations on the hardwood at the same time in a regular league match. Gone are the friendlies that the team played in recent weeks, when LeBron and Bronny already met. It was on October 6 the first time that they could be seen together wearing the shirt of the Californian team.but last night will go down in the record books.
For LeBron, who will turn 40 on December 30, this is his 22nd season in the NBA. Only the great Vince Carter ever achieved such longevityin a career that took him through up to eight teams. For the legend James, his career has been limited to three teams—Cleveland Cavaliers (in two different stages), Miami Heat and, since 2018, the Los Angeles Lakers—with whom, in addition to reaching ten finals and winning four of them, he has beaten countless records. He is the player who has scored the most points (to this day already above 40,000, a barrier that only he has crossed), the one who has played the most minutes and the oldest to score 50 points and capture 10 rebounds in a game of the NBA (he achieved it at 37 years and 65 days), just to mention some of his brands.
Bronny comes to the league at 20 years old —He fulfilled them the day he debuted with his father in a friendly loss to the Phoenix Suns.— between voices that suggest that he is not ready yet, such as that of the former player and all star Charles Barkley yesterday on the TNT television network, where he said before the game that the player should first try his hand at the G-League, the NBA’s development league. Born in Cleveland (Ohio) when his father was about to begin his second season in the American league, he was selected in the past draft in 55th place by the Lakers. After his debut yesterday with his father, Bronny said on TNT that he felt “extremely grateful” for the “incredible opportunity” to have played his first minutes in the NBA and for having done so hand in hand with his father. “It’s a crazy moment I’ll never forget,” he said.
“It’s family, it’s always been family above all else,” LeBron summarized for his part to the same medium. “I have lost a lot of time (with the family) because of this league and because of my commitment to the league, traveling, missing a lot of their things. So being able to have this moment in which I am still working and can work alongside my son is one of the greatest gifts I have been able to have from whoever is above. “I’m going to make the most of it,” he said.
Moments before their long-awaited debut together, the father, who carried a tiny microphone on him as part of the highly produced broadcasts of NBA games, advised his son on the bench: “Are you ready? Do you see the intensity? Just play without worries.” Bronny nodded. Shortly after, the two took the field. Watching them from the front row was Savanah, wife and mother of the two protagonists, born LeBron in Akron (Ohio), girlfriend and later wife of the player since they were 18 and 16 years old. Along with her, the couple’s other two children, Bryce Maximus and Zhuri Nova, applauded the historic moment.
The entrance onto the court earned a long standing ovation from the Lakers fans. On the first play, Julius Randle of the Wolves scored an easy basket one-on-one against Bronny. Shortly after, already in attack, LeBron passed the ball and made a screen for his son, at which point the stands became excited. Bronny returned the ball to his father and he missed the shot. Then came the timeout of the local coach, JJ Redick, and on the first play after the interruption, LeBron made a backdoor to then smash the rim with his classic forcefulness. Ahead, Bronny saw a basket scored by his father closer than ever in his life. Shortly after, LeBron sought assistance for his son, but he missed the three-pointer, one of the only two shots he attempted in the almost three minutes he played (2:41) in the game.
LeBron, for his part, scored 16 points, captured 5 rebounds, distributed 4 assists and made 2 blocks in the 34:39 minutes he was on the court, to contribute to the Lakers’ victory. The Los Angeles team controlled the scoreboard practically throughout the game, with a lead that reached 19 points in the second quarter (it was when they were up 16 when Bronny entered the court). The comfortable gains were maintained during the third quarter, with Minnesota reducing the distance a little already in the last quarter. It wasn’t enough. The Lakers debuted with victory and the James family lived a dream day.
