The James family will remember Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena for the rest of time.
In the second quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers' 110–103 season-opening win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, 39-year-old LeBron James checked into the game alongside his son, 20-year-old Bronny James. After months of anticipation, the two Lakers officially became the first father-son duo to share the court in an NBA game.
"Going up to the scorer's table with my dad and checking in for the first time, that's a crazy moment I will never forget," Bronny James said on the TNT broadcast after the Lakers' win.
LeBron James, the NBA's all-time leading scorer, reflected on what the moment meant to him.
"It's always been family over everything," LeBron James said. "For me, I lost a lot of time because of this league, committing to this league, being on the road on times, missing a lot of [Bronny's] things, Bryce's things, Zhuri's things. So, to be able to have this moment where I'm working still and I can work alongside my son—it's one of the greatest gifts I've ever got from the man above. I'm going to take full advantage of it."
The father-son duo spent 2:41 on the court together in the second quarter. In those minutes, Bronny James was credited with one offensive rebound on a put-back attempt and finished 0-for-2 from the field. He missed an open three-pointer from 28 feet but held his own on the floor.
The elder James tipped off his 2024-25 season on a positive note, scoring 16 points on 7-of-16 shooting to go along with five rebounds and four assists in 35 minutes.
LeBron, Bronny and the Lakers (1–0) return to the floor Friday night to host the Phoenix Suns.