Fathers, sons, and sports formed the bond that preceded NBA history made on Tuesday night and will surely pass it well after.
Smile or squid, there’s no denying that Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and his son-turned-partner, Bronny, form a unique part of the chain by being the first father and son to play in the Association together.
Forget Christmas. Bring the Baby to Work The day came early.
While James, 39, will have the luxury of qualifying with his 20-year-old for at least this season, he certainly enjoyed Tuesday’s event. He did that while helping the Lakers beat the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves, who—exhale now, the haters—were the focus of major national TV.
“Now that that’s out of the way,” NBA analyst on TNT Shaquille O’Neal said after the game, “the Lakers did a great job of doing what they wanted in the paint.”
Accomplishing that goal requires meaningful time on the Lakers’ bench, too. With four minutes left in the second quarter, the James Gang checked out the game together and gave a standing ovation.
Minutes ago, as picked up by TNT, LeBron offered some advice to Bronny, a second-round pick from USC.
“You feel the pressure, right?” LeBron said. “Just play loose, though. Don’t worry about mistakes. Come out and play hard.”
Los Angeles was leading by 16 points when Bronny entered the game. He logged 2:41 before returning to the bench, a move that fed the crowd, put a big check mark on new coach JJ Redick’s to-do list, and nearly provided a historic moment.
Alas, Bronny missed an open 3-pointer from the left wing with a cool pass to his Pops. Box-score-wise, Bronny finished 0-for-2 from the floor with offensive rebounds and a minus-five average, but less than LeBron registered.
“That was something I will never forget, no matter how old I am or my memory may fade,” he said. “Everything was good today. Everything.”
Bronny agreed.
“Going up to the scorers’ table with my dad and looking at it for the first time—that’s a crazy moment I’ll never forget,” he said.
LA counterpart Dalton Knecht, a first-round pick from Tennessee, played 16 minutes Thursday, the second-most among Lakers reserves.
O’Neal’s TNT counterpart, Charles Barkley, spent more face time analyzing Knecht’s contributions than Bronny’s, a trend that may continue this season.
Bronny averaged 1.6 points and 1.2 rebounds in the preseason while shooting just 20% from the floor, suggesting that some seasoning with the South Bay Lakers of the NBA G League may be expected.
Bronny was just a few months shy of turning 6 when LeBron announced he was taking his talents to South Beach. Tuesday provided an amazing full circle moment.
“For me, I’ve lost a lot of time because of this league,” said LeBron, “giving myself to this league, being on the road… my son—it’s one of the greatest gifts I’ve ever received from someone above.” I will make the most of this opportunity.”
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