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LeBron and Bronny James make NBA history in the Lakers' season opener

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LOS ANGELES – In the annals of father-son experiences, a now-historic experience must be added to the list.

LeBron James and son Bronny became the first father-son duo to play in the same NBA game on Tuesday, opening night. Bronny made his debut four minutes before the end of the second quarter in the Lakers' 110-103 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves after joining his father in the game.

The crowd at Crypto.com Arena started cheering as LeBron and Bronny walked to the scorer's table – and then the crowd got louder.

“I really felt the energy,” Bronny said after the game, “and yeah, I appreciate Laker Nation for the support they showed me.”

It was the first time a father and son played in the same NBA game, let alone as teammates. LeBron, 39, and Bronny, 20, wore Lakers purple and gold — their version of matching outfits for family photo day. LeBron said he will never forget that moment.

“No matter how old I get, my memory can fade…” said LeBron. “I would never forget this moment.”

To the delight of the crowd, LeBron and Bronny entered the game together, with the Lakers leading 51-35. All eyes were on father and son.

There was a disappointed sound from the crowd when Bronny passed instead of taking his first free shot. Later came a collective, “ohhhhhhhhhh.”

That was the sound after Bronny missed an open 3-pointer. He was credited with another shot, a tip that was blocked by Minnesota's Rudy Gobert. He was also credited with an offensive rebound, but the penalty area shows no evidence of another notable moment.

At one point, Bronny was guarding Minnesota star Anthony Edwards and Edwards missed a shot.

With 1:19 left in the half, Bronny exited the game with the Lakers leading 53-42. He didn't come back into the game.

“I felt pretty good,” Bronny said of his time on the court. “I was a little nervous when I started.”

Bronny spoke while sitting next to LeBron, who recalled fears from his first NBA game in 2003.

“Like you said,” Bronny noted, referring to his father, “that first game when I stepped on the court was a little nerve-wracking.” But as soon as I stepped on the court and walked up and down a few times, everything went away . “So yeah, I felt pretty good.”

But LeBron said their focus wasn't on the story when they took the court together.

“We weren’t trying to make it a circus,” he said. “We didn't try to make it about ourselves.” We wanted it to be about the team. In order for us to go out and continue to play the brand of basketball that the coaching staff and our teammates wanted us to play.”

Among the fans in attendance was another father-son duo – former MLB stars Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr., who played their first game together with the Seattle Mariners on August 31, 1990.

When the Griffeys were told they wanted to be present for this historic moment, Bronny was thrilled.

“It’s going to be crazy,” he said. “Only two families are doing this, so it’s going to be a crazy experience, especially given what they’ve done.”

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In recent years, LeBron, the NBA's all-time leading scorer, has spoken about his desire to play with his eldest son.

For a while it seemed like that wasn't going to happen. Almost 15 months ago, Bronny suffered a cardiac arrest that put his health and basketball career in doubt. At the time, he was preparing for his first season in Southern California.

He made his season debut in nine games in a difficult season.

After averaging 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in Southern California, Bronny declared for the NBA draft despite questions about his suitability for professional basketball.

The Lakers selected him in the second round with the 55th overall pick.

LeBron and Bronny took the court together during the first game of a challenging preseason for Bronny. In six games, he was 9 of 37 from the field, including 1 of 12 from 3-point range. But he showed athleticism and intelligence on defense before the start of the 2024-25 regular season.

“…It's been a pleasure, and especially in the preseason, the training, just every day…it just gets him up to speed on what this professional life is about and how to prepare every day as a professional,” LeBron said after the Lakers shootaround on Tuesday morning, according to ESPN.

Follow reporter Josh Peter on social media @joshlpeter11

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