Sunday was a big day for the James Gang as their eldest celebrated his 20th birthday. It was also the day when Bronny and his dad, LeBron, made history by becoming the first father-son duo in the NBA's history to take the court together.
Without a doubt, it was a proud moment for Bronny to be able to share the floor with his legendary father. However, it may have been bigger for the four-time champion, an innercity kid from Akron who, despite growing up with a father, conquered the odds to become one of the greatest players of all time, if not the greatest.
"It's definitely a moment that I would never forget and you know it's pretty cool," said LeBron. "For a father, it means everything. For someone who didn't have that growing up, to be able to have that influence on your son, be able to have moments with your son, and then ultimately to be able to work with your son, I think that's one of the greatest things that a father can hope for or wish for."
First father-son duo to take an NBA court together
Bronny played his first NBA game last Friday when the Lakers faced the Minnesota Timberwolves. But because both LeBron and Anthony Davis sat out that game, the world had to wait at least another game to finally witness history.
The time finally came at the start of the second quarter of Sunday's game when Redick put Bronny in the game alongside Bron. LeBron Jr. lasted only four minutes as he committed two turnovers and missed a three-point attempt.
"The moment when we came out of the time out, and he was picking up full court, and I went up cuz my guy was taking the ball out. We still kind of stood next to each other. I kind of looked at him, and it was just like the Matrix or something. It just didn't feel real," he said.
Related: "I didn't hear about him till I'm 13, 14 years old" - Kobe Bryant explains why he grew up not knowing who Michael Jordan was
LeBron was impressive
Fresh off winning Olympic tournament MVP honors in Paris, the soon-to-be 40-year-old looked spectacular against the Suns. King James finished with 19 points on 8-12 shooting, including 2-3 from three-point distance, while also grabbing five rebounds and issuing four assists in just 16 minutes of action.
Meanwhile, Bronny struggled for the second straight preseason game, going scoreless in 13 minutes of action with only one shot attempt and four turnovers. One game earlier, he scored 2 points on 1-6 shooting. Clearly, there's a lot of work to be done if the USC product wants to make a career in the NBA, and that work will likely be done in the G League.
It remains to be seen how many games young James will play with the Lakers as a rookie. But just as they gave LeBron and Bronny the opportunity to make history on Sunday, they are expected to give them that chance in a game that counts during the regular season.
Related: "Why would I make a decision on how someone else is treated?" - LeBron denies report that joined the Lakers because of how they treated Kobe late in his career
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