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LeBron James and his eldest son Bronny James made a piece of NBA history on Sunday after making their long-awaited first appearance together for the Los Angeles Lakers.
The duo appeared together at the start of the second quarter in the Lakers’ preseason game against the Phoenix Suns in Palm Desert, east of Los Angeles.
Anticipation as to when the James duo would appear together for the first time has been building since the Lakers selected Bronny with the 55th pick in the NBA draft in June.
New Lakers coach JJ Redick, who said last month that the two would play together “sooner rather than later,” said in his pregame remarks on Sunday that the prospect of the Jameses playing alongside each other was “surreal.”
“I’m excited,” Redick said. “I feel very honored to be part of history. It will happen as the game progresses.”
Ultimately, Redick brought Bronny James onto the court and the Lakers led 34:25.
LeBron James said the prospect of playing on the same team with Bronny has given him new life as he enters the 22nd season of his illustrious career.
“It’s a great excitement, a pure joy to come to work every day, to work hard with your son every day and to watch him continue to grow,” James said.
“We push each other. He pushes me. I push him. We push our teammates and vice versa. So it’s just a very joyful moment, not only for myself but also for our family. So it’s pretty awesome. Gives you a lot of life.”
Bronny, meanwhile, said Monday that he was buoyed by the words of critics who said he owed his place on the Lakers’ roster entirely to his superstar father.
“I just take all the stuff, the criticism and the backlash that people have given me and turn it into something that can drive me,” Bronny James said.
Lakers coach Redick has insisted that Bronny James was drafted by the franchise based on his performance, dismissing claims that the former University of Southern California player “earned” a spot on the roster.
“Bronny earned this through hard work,” Redick said earlier this year.
“He will have a great opportunity to become an outstanding NBA player.”
Bronny James is expected to spend most of his rookie season in the developing G-League rather than the Lakers’ senior team.
The Lakers open their 2024-2025 regular season with a home game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 22nd.
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