A player who many believe to be the greatest National Basketball Association (NBA) ever, bar Michael Jordan, LeBron James and his eldest son, Bronny have etched their names in the NBA Hall of Fame by playing alongside each other for the Los Angeles Lakers in a record first father-son appearance in the NBA history on Sunday.
Lebron and Bronny, in a long-awaited appearance, played together at the start of the second quarter in the Lakers’ 118-114 preseason defeat to the Phoenix Suns in Palm Desert, east of Los Angeles.
However, that’s as far as the sweet story went. While LeBron James impressed with 19 points in just 16 minutes and 20 seconds on the court before sitting out the second half, Bronny found the going harder with zero points in just over 13 minutes on the court, attempting just one shot.
39-year-old LeBron said afterward of playing alongside Bronny, who celebrated his 20th birthday on Sunday, “It was cool for both of us, especially our family. It’s definitely a moment I’ll never forget.
“As a father it means everything. For someone who didn’t have a dad growing up, to be able to have that influence on your son, to be able to have moments with your son, to work with your son — that’s one of the greatest things a father could ever hope for.”
Admitting though that there were moments on the court that felt surreal, James Sr. said, “We came out of a timeout and we kind of stood next to each other. I kind of looked at him. It was like being in ‘The Matrix’ or something. It just didn’t feel real. But it was great to have those moments.”
Anticipation about when the James duo would become the first father-son duo to appear in the same NBA lineup together has built since the Lakers picked Bronny with the 55th pick in the NBA Draft in June.
LeBron James said that playing with Bronny on the same team has given him a new lease on life as he enters the 22nd season of a glittering career.
