Sure, it's still the preseason, but LeBron James and his son Bronny have officially shared an NBA court (even if it technically doesn't count yet.) On Sunday, the first father-son duo in NBA history shared some court time in the Lakers loss against the Phoenix Suns.
About a decade ago, when LeBron was approaching 30 years old and Bronny was still in elementary school, this moment didn't feel possible. When LeBron passed 35 years old still going strong and Bronny started dunking, it started to feel a little more feasible. Now it's happened, and though we all knew it was coming once we realized LeBron is beating father time, it's still crazy to see it on the court.
There were no spectacular highlights between the two — Bronny finished the night with 0 points in 13 minutes played — but the moment itself is significant enough. LeBron the elder tweeted his feelings after the game, in which he scored 19 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished four assists.
Bronny James still turns into a fan when watching his dad
It's hard not to turn into a fan when watching one of the greatest athletes ever, even if that athlete is your father. Bronny and the Lakers bench loved what they were seeing from the 39-year-old LeBron, who showed some old-man bounce on a dunk in the first quarter.
How much will Bronny James play?
After the debut of The Two James (nicknames for the duo are still being workshopped) it's natural to wonder how much time they'll spend together in the regular season. While there's no sure answer yet, and new coach JJ Redick is sure to experiment with lineup combinations, the probable answer is... not much.
Los Angeles will be a solid playoff team, and while the roster probably isn't deep enough for a title run, there's enough talent and balance to be a good regular-season team and realistically win a playoff series. Teams with postseason aspirations typically don't often play second-round rookies consistent minutes.
Bronny will likely spend a good portion of the season in South Bay with the Lakers G League affiliate, where he can develop without feeling like he has to be perfect every play and every game. If the Lakers deal with injuries or Bronny thrives in the G League for a stretch, maybe he'll get a few spot minutes here and there with LA; but don't expect this duo to see tons of time together in 2024-25. Still, it's pretty dang cool to see these two on the court together.
