LeBron James and his son Bronny are set to make NBA history by becoming the first father-son duo to play together. This comes as Bronny was selected to join the Los Angeles Lakers this week. He was the 55th pick in the second round of the NBA draft.
“In the history of the NBA, there’s never been a father and a son that have shared an NBA basketball court and that feels like something that could be magical,” Rob Pelinka, the Lakers’ vice president of basketball operations and general manager, said, according to ESPN . “We know, and have to respect of course, that LeBron has a decision on his opt-out … but if it worked out that he was on our team next season, NBA history could be made. And NBA history should be made in a Lakers uniform.”
LeBron is expected to opt into the final year of his contract with the Lakers before June 29. Next season’s contract is worth $51.4 million.
The James family celebrated the news during a dinner party in New York, where LeBron reportedly gave a toast for the occasion and was “very emotional,” a source told ESPN.
The NBA star had expressed his wish to play alongside his son in the past.
“I need to be on the floor with my boy, I got to be on the floor with Bronny,” LeBron said after the 2023 season, according to People . “Either in the same uniform or a matchup against him.”
Lakers star Anthony Davis also expressed his support toward Bronny joining the team prior to the pick.
“One thing about Bronny, from what I’ve seen and what I heard, he wants to create his own path and he doesn’t want to be — even though he’s LeBron James’ son, he don’t want be seen as that,” he told ESPN. “And I think having that mindset and trying to create his own path is going to work out for him. … Who knows, he might come in and be ready to play for us.”
Bronny averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 19.4 minutes per game in his season for USC, ESPN reported. He played his first game with the Trojans on Dec. 10, months after he suffered cardiac arrest. Bronny was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect after he was hospitalized and underwent surgery. He was cleared to be drafted last month.
Pelinka was present for Bronny’s debut game at USC. He sat courtside next to LeBron and Savannah James.
“Bronny is, first and foremost, a person of high character,” he told ESPN. “And second, he is a young man that works incredibly hard. Those are the qualities we look for in drafting players and adding to our developmental corps at the Lakers.”
The Lakers are set to play against the Houston Rockets in the NBA Summer League on July 12 in Las Vegas.
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