History or hype? LeBron and Bronny James share the spotlight in the Lakers' symbolic but complex victory

LOS ANGELES – All told, it was three minutes.

Three minute story of a father and son doing their warm-up exercises under camera phones and flashbulbs popping.

Three minutes of the show get in the way of the game, the moment gets in the way of victory.

Groundbreaking moment or clown show? It all depends on the eyes of the viewer who watches as LeBron James and Bronny James take the floor at the same time late in the second quarter of the Lakers' season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

“I talked about it many years ago and it was pretty cool for the moment to come,” LeBron James said. “When we checked in, we had a job to do at the moment. We didn't try to make it a circus, we didn't try to make it about ourselves. We wanted it to be about the game.”

“We kept the essentials.”

The circus always seems to follow LeBron James, and it doesn't look like it's stopping any time soon. This, as Anthony Davis noted, is the first time a milestone has occurred in a Lakers victory. So much celebration took place against the backdrop of defeat, and before the night began it certainly felt like Tuesday would follow a similar path.

But the Timberwolves appeared bored and disinterested for most of the evening, offering only a glimpse of the team that surprisingly made it to the Western Conference finals a few months ago.

It contributed to the Lakers' 110-103 win, and the victory was reassuring considering how much criticism they would have received had those three minutes been costly.

“During a dead ball, I wondered why everyone started cheering so loudly, and then I realized what was going on,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “I thought, 'This is cool.' For Bronny it was an opportunity. He played well and competed in the preseason just to give him a chance to start in a regular season game.”

The hype leading up to the game has obscured other prevailing storylines that will take center stage over the next few months. Redick's straight hair was doused with water after his first win as a head coach, and Davis was the one who took the lead, dominating Rudy Gobert with 36 points, 16 rebounds, four assists and three blocks in 37 minutes.

If Davis is truly going to be the center of attention, a statement we've heard more than a few times before, this is the beginning. He waved to the crowd more than once, seemingly indicating that Gobert was no match for him, and Davis stopped all air traffic near the edge with his presence.

“Just a holdover from the Olympics,” Davis said, referencing his time winning a gold medal with the U.S. men’s national basketball team in Paris. “I mean, I had a summer where I could play basketball. I play with high intensity, with great competition and some great players who have made me better. When I came into camp ready to go, that led to regular season games.”

That helped keep the moment largely inconsequential, but it's a moment the elder James won't forget. A moment the younger James probably couldn't have imagined a year ago, when he suffered cardiac arrest while playing at USC, not far from Crypto.com Arena.

Not much happened on the floor. Bronny was shot by Julius Randle and missed a 3-pointer after a pass from his father. For those who were hoping for a Ken Griffey father-son moment and back-to-back Disney-style home runs in 1990, it was a dream that wouldn't come true.

“I try not to focus on everything that’s going on around me,” Bronny James said. “Going in as a freshman and trying not to mess up. I really felt the energy and appreciate Laker Nation for supporting me.”

The baseball duo were in attendance, enjoying the moment and posing for photos with the James clan before the game began. It was clear that the Lakers wanted it to be a spectacle and that they also wanted to get it over with, removing the pressure and expectations for everyone involved. The Lakers are sticking with tradition, holding it like a warm blanket on a windy night while the rest of the NBA goes about its business.

A minute after Bronny James checked out, Laker star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was gently escorted to the back with the help of a wheelchair. When the 77-year-old was recognized by a large group of fans near the tunnel, they cheered “Kareem” appreciatively and all but ignored the game for about 15 seconds.

And shortly after Lawrence Tanter, the Lakers' longtime PA announcer, pointed out to the crowd that the Jameses had made history, he also announced that a halftime ceremony would be held to commemorate the life of the late Jerry West – another example for the connective tissue that permeates the franchise.

Now, it's worth pointing out that West didn't have the best relationship with the Lakers in his final years, serving as an advisor to the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers before his death in June – his grievances aren't exactly a secret to anyone is within reasonable earshot of the Lakers or Clippers.

Their second most important figure – behind Magic Johnson – felt alienated from the franchise he helped build and shape, and as for James, knowing his wishes, they didn't want to risk alienating him.

Therefore, the argument with Bronny James can be abandoned at this point. It's not an insult for him to play three minutes. It was an insult to select him, even at 55th, when it seemed clear he wasn't ready. The bigger benefit was giving him a guaranteed four-year contract when it was clear he wasn't ready to contribute as a true NBA player.

If you strip away the disgusting details surrounding nepotism and merit, you can see how reassuring it was that LeBron James was there for Bronny.

On the eve and day of his first game, the nationally televised event in Sacramento some 21 years ago, LeBron lost his nerve. Admittedly, he wasn't able to sleep the night before and didn't get his usual pre-game nap.

“I was extremely nervous. I felt the world and the game of basketball on my shoulders,” James said. “I felt like everyone outside of my family and friends wanted me to fail. I kind of channeled that. I was nervous, my stomach was turning.”

But you can't eliminate these problems, even if Bronny looked precocious and a little uneasy as he sat next to his father during their joint press conference. Whatever happens to Bronny, if he becomes something in the next four years, if he gets the chance, LeBron will be able to relate in some way, even despite the struggles.

But Bronny was enthusiastic, and even if there are people who point out that he is more likely to fail, you can't say that the world is against him.

Father and son arrived in a package, and the spectacle is probably over. But even turning up one's nose for obvious reasons, James' influence extended to the seven-footer who dominated the night – because the Lakers wouldn't have had Anthony Davis without LeBron.

As always with LeBron James, it's never final – it was three minutes of gray.