Lakers News: LeBron, Bronny James Third Father-Son Duo On LA But First Simultaneous

Sam Garcia | Jul 11, 2024

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Since Bronny James was selected by the Lakers in the 2024 NBA draft, the debut of both Bronny and his four-time NBA champion father LeBron James together on the court has become highly anticipated. 

But, they are not the first father-son duo to play on the Lakers. In fact, they are the third set of father and son to wear the Los Angeles uniform, according to L.A. in a Minute on Instagram.

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There have been 99 other father-son duos in NBA history but none have played simultaneously. 

The Lakers have rostered two father-son pairs in Hall of Famer Gary Payton and his son Gary Payton II and two-time NBA champion Wes Matthews and his son Wesley Matthews. 

The elder Payton played a single season with the Lakers in 2003-04. With the Lakers, he averaged 14.6 points, 5.5 assists, and 4.2 rebounds across 82 games. He won an NBA championship with the Miami Heat in 2006 and was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013.

Four years later, his eldest son would join the Lakers for the 2017-18 season. The younger Payton averaged 3.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 11 games. Now, Payton II is a shooting guard for the Golden State Warriors. 

The Matthews are the second father-son duo to be rostered on the Lakers. The elder Matthews came to the Lakers in 1986 and won two back-to-back NBA championships with the Lakers in 1987 and 1988.

His son, Wesley, was featured on the Lakers 2020-21 season roster. He averaged 4.8 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 58 games. The younger Matthews is now a guard for the Atlanta Hawks. 

Despite father-son duos being pretty common in the NBA, the James twosome have established themselves as the first father-son duo to play simultaneously in NBA history.

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