When Will LeBron and Bronny James Play First Game Together With Lakers?

The father-son duo will make NBA history the moment they suit up alongside each other.

Jan 10, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans guard Bronny James (6) is greeted by father LeBron James during the game against the Washington State Cougars at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

When will Los Angeles Lakers All-NBA small forward LeBron James suit up alongside his son Bronny in 2024-25?

That's the question on many basketball minds heading into the Lakers' 77th season. The father-son duo will make NBA history the moment they play together. Multiple generations of players have indeed logged time on the hardwood over the decades, but never simultaneously — let alone for the same team.

Los Angeles selected Bronny James with the No. 55 pick late into the second round of this past June's 2024 NBA Draft. The 6-foot-2 point guard had submitted a disappointing one-and-done collegiate season as a backup for the 15-18 USC Trojans. He averaged just 4.8 points on .366/.267/.676 shooting splits, 2.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 0.8 steals across 25 contests (six starts). Seen as a raw prospect, the younger James is likely to log significant run as a rookie with L.A.'s G League affiliate club in El Segundo, the South Bay Lakers. Earlier this summer, James expressed an openness to doing so.

Read More: Bronny James Open to Getting Reps in G League This Year

During a new episode of his eponymous show "The BIll Simmons Podcast," The Ringer's Bill Simmons spoke with Zach Lowe of ESPN about a variety of pressing issues facing the NBA at large. One chief focus for both was prognosticating the fate of the Los Angeles duo.

“He’s 100 percent playing in the opening game so that they can have a moment together, right?” Lowe said. “That’s gonna happen, so they pass to each other, whatever it ends up being.”

Simmons offered a tempered response.

"It's one of the coolest NBA situations we've had, and it's also gonna be one of the weirdest, because imagine being on the team," Simmons said. "We saw a glimpse [that] there [were] already grumblings [on] the Summer League team about how everything was built around trying to get Bronny to succeed, some of the other guys are like, 'What the f---?' I just think it's gonna be a story."

In six games of Summer League play this year, Bronny James averaged 7.0 points on .327/.130/.625 shooting splits, 3.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.8 blocks in 25.2 minutes a night.

L.A.'s more exciting win-now rookie fit, however, is shooting guard Dalton Knecht, selected with the No. 17 overall pick out of Tennessee.

LeBron James, a 20-time All-Star, enjoyed yet another superlative season as the quarterback of the Lakers' 2023-24 offense. He signed a two-year, $101.4 million new deal with the club this summer.

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