Lakers News: LeBron James Reacts to 'Not Real' Historic Bronny Moment

The Los Angeles superstar suited up alongside his son on Sunday.

Oct 4, 2024; Palm Desert, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James (9) shoots during warmups against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Acrisure Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images / Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

Rookie Los Angeles Lakers point guard Bronny James made (technical) NBA history on Sunday against the Phoenix Suns. In that 118-114 preseason defeat (officially a home game, though it took place at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, far from L.A.'s standard stomping grounds of Crypto.com Arena), the 6-foot-2 former USC Trojans product suited up next to his father, 20-time All-NBA Los Angeles combo forward LeBron James, for the first time.

The two became the first father-son duo to take an NBA court alongside each other in league history (though it's happened before in the NHL and MLB). The game was a fairly meaningless exhibition, in which LeBron only played for the first half. LeBron and Bronny will have a chance to make official league history on October 22, when they'll host the revamped Minnesota Timberwolves — in Los Angeles, not Palm Desert, this time.

Read More: NBA History Made as LeBron James, Bronny Share Court Together

Playing just over 16 minutes, the 39-year-old LeBron finished with 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the floor, five boards and four dimes. The 20-year-old Bronny (on his birthday, no less), went 0-of-1 from the field and had more turnovers (four) than combined field goals or points (zero), though he did pull down a pair of rebounds.

After the game, the older James spoke with gathered media about the opportunity he had to suit up alongside his son, as captured by Spectrum SportsNet:

"It's definitely a moment I'll never forget and it's pretty cool."

LeBron spoke postgame on sharing the court with his son. pic.twitter.com/dbOuQOtkUt

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) October 7, 2024

“Not real,” LeBron said of the feeling of playing next to Bronny. “Kind of a little bit used to it but it’s pretty cool. It’s pretty cool for both of us and especially for my family. … It’s definitely a moment that I will never forget and it’s pretty cool.”

“The moment when we came out of the timeout and he was picking up full court and I went up and, when my guy was taking the ball out, we kind of stood next to each other,” James noted. “I kind of looked at him and it was like 'The Matrix' or something, It just didn’t feel real to me. But it was great to have those moments out there.”

The 6-foot-9 James is set to embark on his record-tying 22nd NBA season. This summer, the NBA's all-time leading scorer inked a two-year, $101.4 million agreement to stay with Los Angeles through 2025-26 (though he has a player option for that second season), which will make him the new solo record-holder as the longest-tenured player in the history of the league.

“I mean [as] a father, it means everything,” James added. “As someone who didn’t have that growing up, to be able to have that influence on your kids and have an influence on your son, be able to have moments with your son and then, ultimately, be able to work with your son, that’s one of the greatest things a father could ever hope for or wish for.”

More Lakers: Los Angeles Reveals New Court, City Edition Jerseys