LeBron and Bronny are the first father-son duo to play alongside one another in NBA history
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LeBron James was all smiles when he briefly shared the court with his son Bronny as the Lakers rookie made his debut in the NBA regular season.
Bronny, 20, took the floor of the Lakers’ opening night game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday, Oct. 22, marking the USC alum’s first minutes playing in the pro-league.
It was a historic moment, marking the first time a father-son duo have played together in the NBA.
LeBron, 39, started the game alongside his longtime teammate Anthony Davis, who helped Team USA secure the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics this offseason.
Lebron scored 16 points, five rebounds and four assists.
Bronny, who played for three minutes in the second quarter, score no points, one rebound and zero assists.
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LeBron’s wife, Savannah James, was in the crowd with Bronny’s siblings, Bryce Maximus, 17, and Zhuri Nova, 10, at the Crypto.com to cheer on her husband and son.
Following the Lakers’ win of 110 to 103, the father-son duo opened up about making history in a postgame interview with TNT’s Taylor Rooks. “Crazy moment I will never forget,” Bronny said.
As for LeBron, “It’s always been family over everything. To be able to have this moment working still and working alongside my son, it’s one of the greatest gifts I got from the man above and I’m going to take full advantage of it.”
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Bronny’s debut comes shortly after the Lakers rookie opened up about suffering a cardiac arrest in July 2023 for a new interview with Men’s Health, published Tuesday, Oct. 15.
“My days aren’t normal anymore,” Bronny revealed to the magazine. “I still feel like I’m getting back, I’m getting back to where I was.”
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In August 2023, doctors diagnosed Bronny with “an anatomically and functionally significant congenital heart defect” and he underwent surgery before beginning his rehabilitation process.
LeBron’s eldest son said he focused on getting “on top of my routines to get back to where I was,” while recovering last summer. “I had to do breathing exercises and stuff. It was a total reset,” he shared.
But Bronny was able to make it to the NBA, and fulfill their dream of playing together.