LeBron James and his son Bronny James made history Tuesday night by becoming the first father and son to play together in the NBA. They helped the Los Angeles Lakers to a 110-103 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. In truth, LeBron helped them to the victory with 16 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Bronny didn’t score, going 0-2.
Fans at the Crypto.com Arena enthusiastically cheered them on as they recorded together towards the end of the second quarter. The three-time Olympic gold medalist said: “No matter how old I get, how long my memory may fade…I will never forget this moment. »
To mark this historic moment, we explore some of the most interesting facts from their father-son basketball journey.
LeBron was a younger rookie than Bronny
LeBron is one of the few NBA stars who skipped college and went straight to the pros after high school. With one-and-done becoming a common practice in college, international players becoming more and more essential, and athletes heading to the G-League, it may not seem be a big problem today. However, 20 years ago, skipping college basketball was not something the league encouraged. His decision means the five-time NBA champion was just 19 years old when he played his rookie season in the NBA in 2003-04.
Meanwhile, Bronny was playing for USC, overcoming cardiac arrest in the process. At 20, he entered the league slightly older than his father. It remains to be seen if this little extra experience will benefit his game, but at least being on his own for a little while probably helped boost his confidence.
Bronny can’t call him daddy
Since a father and son have never played together before, the duo will have to make up the rules as they go. One of them, which James the elder has already implemented, concerns his name. Last August, he revealed that his son is not allowed to call him dad when they are at work. Bronny should call his teammate 23 (LeBron’s jersey number), or Bron. We’re sure it took him a while to get used to it, and he probably still makes timing mistakes on occasion.
Bronny was a young Sports Illustrated cover star
Although Bronny will have to spend most of his career being compared to his father, there are milestones he will reach sooner than LeBron. One of them is appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated. According to PeopleWhen Junior appeared on the cover of the long-running sports magazine, he was six months older than LeBron. A fact he certainly made his father know as they continued their friendly rivalry.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t basketball that landed Bronny on the cover. When he appeared in July 2021, it was with his FaZe Clan esports teammates.
Bronny beat LeBron’s alma mater
In 2019, Bronny’s game-winning goal led Sierra Canyon School to victory over St. Vincent High School-St. Mary at the 2019 Scholastic Play By Play Classic. Although there was probably some dirty talk in the house, LeBron posted a sweet message Message Instagram recognizing his son’s achievements.
“Last night was such a surreal feeling for me! he wrote alongside a carousel of videos and photos from the big night. “Watching my son play in our home state against my alma mater St. VM who is still coached by my mentor, my father figure, the man who coached and guided me throughout my childhood, on and in off the field, coach Dru Joyce II. »
LeBron treats him like any other rookie
Just because his last name is James doesn’t mean Bronny is immune to newbie treatment. In a new Nike commercial, his father is seen pranking his son by secretly filling his car with cereal. When the 20-year-old opens the driver’s side door, the cereal spills into the aisle. LeBron stops and shouts, “Hey new player, you better not be late.” » His new teammate responds by telling the NBA veteran, “You’re too old for this.” » Then he asks his brother Bryce for his car keys.
It’s a cute and light-hearted moment that shows how fun this moment is for the father-son duo and how they try to enjoy every moment.
Going forward, Bronny will likely play for the Lakers’ G-League team, meaning he and his father may not get much significant playing time in the NBA together this season.
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