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Bronny James and Lebron James Make History in Los Angeles Lakers Season Opener: 'Perfect Day'

Former USC Trojans guard Bronny James made his NBA debut for the Los Angeles Lakers against the Minnesota Timberwolves. It was a historic moment as Bronny took the floor with his father, NBA legend Lebron James. Lebron said it was a perfect day.

Cory Pappas

Oct 22, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) checks into the game with his son, guard Bronny James (9) during the second quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena. This marked the first time in NBA history that a father and son played together. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images
Oct 22, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) checks into the game with his son, guard Bronny James (9) during the second quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena. This marked the first time in NBA history that a father and son played together. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images / Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images
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The former USC Trojans guard and current Los Angeles Laker, Bronny James, made his NBA debut Tuesday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Bronny James was picked in the second round of the 2024 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers. 

Bronny and his father, Lebron, both checked into the game at the 4-minute mark in the second quarter. The crowd erupted as this was the first father-son duo to play together in the history of the NBA.

History Made by James Family

When Bronny James and Lebron James checked into Tuesday night's game, it was the first-ever father-son duo to share an NBA court. It’s incredible how Lebron James, who is arguably the greatest basketball player to ever live, has had the longevity to play with his son in an NBA game while turning 40 years old later this year. 

“Everything was just great today," Lebron said after the game. "From the moment I woke up, I saw my daughter before she went to school. Went to work, and saw my son at work.”

Lebron James said years ago that his goal was to play with his son in the NBA. It happened, and it defies all the odds. Just an unbelievable feat by the two.

In attendance was another sports father-son duo. Former Major League Baseball players Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. were courtside watching the historic moment unfold. The Griffeys had their own historic moment in 1990 when they hit back-to-back home runs in a game for the Seattle Mariners. 

Bronny’s Performance in NBA Debut 

Oct 22, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James (9) and forward LeBron James (23) guard Min
Oct 22, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James (9) and forward LeBron James (23) guard Minnesota Timberwolves forward Julius Randle (30) during the second quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena. This marked the first time in NBA history that a father and son played together. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images / Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images

As expected, Bronny James didn’t see too much action in his debut. Bronny played three minutes late in the second quarter, with the Lakers leading the visiting Timberwolves by double digits. Bronny took two shots and missed both. He did grab a rebound. 

In his limited action, one thing was clear, the Wolves were going to go at him. The first play after Bronny subbed in was Wolves’ newly acquired forward Julius Randle taking him to the post and knocking down a 6-footer. A few possessions later, Wolves guard Anthony Edwards tried backing down Bronny James but missed a turnaround jumper. 

Bronny only played one season at USC in 2023-24 and spent much of the season getting back into the flow of things after his scary cardiac arrest in the preseason. Thankfully, he was okay and cleared to play a few months later. 

There has been a lot of criticism towards the Lakers for taking a player not looked at as being “NBA ready” because he is the son of an NBA legend. Bronny will have the opportunity to improve and develop as time goes on. It may be in the best interest of both him and the Lakers to have him play more in the G-League. He was able to have his moment with his father, but priority number one going forward shouldn't be to sit on the bench at NBA games because his father is starring on the team. He needs to play somewhere or he won’t get better.

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Cory Pappas
CORY PAPPAS

Cory Pappas is sports writer for USC Trojans On SI and Oregon Ducks On SI. Since starting in March of 2024, he has been writing breaking news stories, game previews, game recaps, and more across College Sports, the NFL, MLB, NBA, and Olympics for Total Apex Sports. In addition to writing, Cory is also a sports data scout for Sportradar. He covers live sporting events ranging from college athletics to semi-pro and professional. Before joining the industry, Cory graduated from the University of Oregon in 2022. He ran track for Oregon's club Track and Field team. Before Oregon, he played varsity basketball and track and field in high school in Walnut Creek, CA. Cory is using his lifelong passion for sports and writing together.

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