LOS ANGELES: LeBron James has made plenty of history in his long career, but even by those lofty standards, he crafted a first that was special to him: on Wednesday, he and his son Bronny became the first father and son to play in the NBA together.
The 39-year-old LeBron and his 20-year-old son Bronny took the court for the Los Angeles Lakers’ season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Besides being the top scorer in NBA league history, LeBron is also a four-time NBA champion and a 20-time All-Star. The Lakers picked up Bronny as a second-round pick last summer (the 55th overall pick).
In the game, LeBron played 13 minutes for the Lakers before the Lakers gave the fans and the father-son duo they moment that everyone wanted to see: both LeBron and Bronny stepped onto the court together against Minnesota with four minutes left for half-time. That evoked a uproarious ovation from a home crowd.
“That moment, us being at the scorer’s table together and checking in together, it’s a moment I’m never going to forget,” LeBron was quoted as saying later by the Associated Press. “No matter how old I get, no matter how my memory may fade as I get older or whatever, I will never forget that moment.”
LeBron James’ pep-talk to son Bronny
The NBA legend, in fact, gave a little pep talk to his son before they stepped onto the court together.
“Y’all ready? You see the intensity, right? Just play carefree, though. Don’t worry about mistakes. Just go out and play hard,” LeBron told his son on the bench before they both checked in. The pep talk was caught by TNT cameras and microphones.
The senior James finished the night with 16 points as the Lakers won 110-103.
“(I) tried not to focus on everything that’s going on around me, and tried to focus on going in as a rookie and not trying to mess up,” Bronny admitted later. “But yeah, I totally did feel the energy, and I appreciate Laker Nation for showing the support for me and my dad.”
Agencies