LeBron and Bronny make history and perform together for the Lakers

LOS ANGELES — When LeBron James made history two seasons ago, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA's all-time leading scorer, his eldest son, Bronny James, sat in a courtside seat along the baseline.

On Tuesday night, during the Los Angeles Lakers' season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves, LeBron and Bronny made history by being on the court together.

They became the first father-son duo in NBA history to appear in a game together when they checked in the game at the same time with 4:00 left in the second quarter. LeBron started and had already played 13 minutes before re-entering the game with Bronny for the historic moment.

As the pair stood up from the end of the bench and made their way to the scorer's table, the crowd at Crypto.com Arena began to buzz and erupted in cheers as LeBron and Bronny broke off their warm-ups to officially step onto the court.

LeBron James.
Bronny James.

The first father-son duo to play together in the NBA! pic.twitter.com/naadFLoPmh

– NBA (@NBA) October 23, 2024

The Lakers lost 7-2 in their first shift together, with Bronny missing an open three-pointer on the wing and also having a tip-in attempt blocked by Rudy Gobert after fending off an offensive rebound.

Bronny, selected by LA in the second round with the No. 55 pick in June, struggled in the preseason, averaging 4.2 points on 29.7% from the field. But he finished the game on a high note, scoring 17 points on 7-for-17 shooting with 4 rebounds and 3 steals.

However, first-year Lakers coach JJ Redick championed the rookie guard and used him in all six of LA's exhibition games, including briefly trying out a lineup with Bronny and LeBron together in the second quarter on October 6 the Phoenix Suns.

Before the Wolves game, Redick said he was “thrilled to be a part of” the “historic” event that sees LeBron and Bronny start the season on the same team.

Redick said he consulted with the father and son to get their input on how they would like their first game together to play out.

“We had a few conversations about it,” Redick said. “I think everyone agrees. We want it to make some kind of sense and we want it to happen naturally and in the flow of the game.”

On the same baseline where Bronny watched his father break Abdul-Jabbar's record, sat another father-son duo making history together.

Ken Griffey Jr. and Ken Griffey Sr., the first father-son duo to play together in the MLB, made an occasion of it.

“Knowing that these guys are going to be there tonight while me and Bronny are on the same team is a pretty cool moment in the history of sports,” LeBron said after the morning shootout in LA.

LeBron and Bronny took a quick break from pregame warmups to greet the Griffeys and pose for a photo on the court.

On Tuesday there was a father-son case in professional sports for the fourth time.

In addition to the Griffeys, the Jameses are joined by hockey star Gordie Howe, who played for the Hartford Whalers with two of his sons, Mark and Marty, in 1980, the first time this family feat occurred in the NHL. Tim Raines and Tim Raines Jr. also took the field together for the Baltimore Orioles on October 4, 2001.

The Griffeys played together for the Seattle Mariners for two seasons in 1990 and 1991 and memorably hit back-to-back home runs on September 14, 1990.