LeBron and Bronny James become first father-son duo to play in NBA game together

The moment, which had been highly anticipated since the Lakers drafted Bronny 55th overall on June 27, became reality with 4:00 remaining in the second quarter against Minnesota when Lakers coach J.J. Redick looked down his bench and motioned for both father and son, who had been sitting next to one another on the sideline, to check in. Fans inside Crypto.com Arena began to stand for an ovation before the two had even jogged halfway to the scorer’s table. By the time the rookie stepped onto the court for the first official minute of his NBA career, his presence in the lineup alongside his father had created a roar of noise.

Among those cheering, from courtside seats, were Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr., who in 1990 became the first father-son duo to play together in MLB history. The Griffeys and Jameses greeted one another before tipoff on the court before posing for a photo. Few other parallels exist in American professional sports: The Raines, in MLB, played together, and hockey’s Howes family did, as well. 

During one possession, Bronny passed to his father atop the 3-point arc, and LeBron drove into the paint before passing back to his son for an open 3-pointer. The noise grew as the shot was released, but it missed. Bronny was taken out with 1:29 remaining before halftime, his first stint of NBA action lasting 2 minutes, 41 seconds.

In the preseason, both LeBron and Bronny discussed finding the right balance between treating one another as teammates and kin, and for much of Tuesday night, their interactions looked no different than that of any teammate duo. They high-fived after the singing of the national anthem before tipoff, and after James played the game’s first five minutes, he took a seat at the far end of the Lakers’ bench, four seats away from his son. 

Though the two had already played together in the preseason, exhibition statistics don’t count in the NBA’s record, making Tuesday the official “first” lineup featuring both father and son. As the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, who is also projected this season to become its all-time leader in minutes played, the elder James was already one of the most prolific, productive athletes in the league’s history. Yet, what happened Tuesday, when he overlapped with his son, was more personal.

Bronny was born only weeks before the start of his father’s second NBA season, in 2004.“He’s his own man and just to see him continue to grow has been a treat to be able to see,” James said at the team’s shootaround, hours before tipoff Tuesday, according to the Los Angeles Times. “I missed so many days while I was playing and they were in grade school and middle school and high school. I missed a lot of days. So to be able to kind of recoup some of those days now with us being together and working together, I mean, it’s pretty cool.”

James reminded reporters of the uncertainty as to whether Bronny would have a chance to play in the NBA after he went into cardiac arrest during a practice at the University of Southern California in the summer of 2023. Bronny recovered in time to return to play by December, and went on to average 4.8 points in his only season of college ball.

“And to know how long it kind of takes to get back to yourself, to see him be able to play in a college Division I game the same year that he had heart surgery was, like, a ‘wow’ moment,” James told reporters, per the LA Times. “And I knew that at that moment that there really was going to be nothing to stop him from getting to this — to anything that he wants to do.”