LOS ANGELES (AFP) — LeBron and Bronny James made National Basketball Association (NBA) history on Tuesday, becoming the first father and son to play alongside each other in a regular season fixture as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves, 110-103.
The duo, who played together briefly in a pre-season game earlier this month, took to the court late in the second quarter at the Crypto.com Arena with the Lakers leading, 51-35.
An enormous roar went up from the home crowd as the James duo approached the scorer’s table to check into the game after the Lakers had surged into a double-digit lead.
As James and his son prepared to enter the court, James Sr. could be heard telling Bronny: “You ready? You see the intensity, right? Just play carefree though.”
In a perfectly scripted moment that was pure Hollywood, the James’ double-act was watched at courtside by Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr., who made baseball history playing for the Seattle Mariners as father and son in 1990-1991.
“That moment — us checking in together — is something I’ll never forget, no matter how old I get, how my memory may fade as I get older or whatever. I will never forget that moment,” said LeBron, who had started Tuesday by celebrating the 10th birthday of his daughter Zhuri Nova.
“Everything was just great today, everything — from the moment I woke up,” he added.
“Obviously, this is the first time in this beautiful history of the NBA that a father and son have been on the same floor, let alone on the same team. It was pretty cool.”
Bronny’s debut for the Lakers was subdued. The 20-year-old spent 2:41 on court, taking two unsuccessful shots from the field before being replaced.
He expressed gratitude for the supportive “energy” shown by Lakers fans.
“I try not to focus on everything that’s going on around me. I was trying to focus on trying not to mess up. But I totally did feel the energy,” Bronny said.
Lakers officials had been coy before Tuesday’s season-opener about where and when LeBron and Bronny would play their first regular season fixture together.
However, NBA superstar LeBron, who turns 40 in December, admitted in pre-game remarks that he could scarcely contain his excitement at the prospect of realizing his long-cherished dream of sharing a court with his son.
“Just to run out the tunnel knowing that he’ll be in uniform, run out the tunnel with him, see him warm up, and be out there with the rest of my teammates,” he told reporters during a morning shoot-around on Tuesday.
Anticipation about the James double-act has dominated the Lakers’ preparations for the new season since Bronny was selected by the franchise with the 55th pick in the draft in June.