LeBron James and Bronny are the first father-son pair to play together in NBA history

LeBron James and his eldest son Bronny are officially the first father-son duo in NBA history to step onto the court together.

The success, which has been touted for years and secured at the 2024 NBA Draft, came about on Tuesday in the Los Angeles Lakers’ season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The elder James started but had to wait until eight minutes into the second quarter for his son to show up.

When the two checked in, they received a lot of applause:

The two took the court together at the start of preseason, with LeBron later tweeting that it was “SURREAL.” One can only wonder what Tuesday felt like, especially after so many years of anticipation.

LeBron James has been pushing to play with Bronny for years

LeBron had hinted for years that he planned to play alongside his son, even going so far as to say he would spend his final season with Bronny in 2022, when Bronny was still a senior. Even for a four-star recruit like Bronny, those are high expectations.

Bronny’s path to the NBA was more turbulent than expected. He decided to stay close to home and play for USC in college, but a congenital heart defect significantly delayed his debut and he was little more than a reserve player early in the game, averaging 4, 8 points.

Still, LeBron James’ kid will get the attention of NBA offices. Bronny was one of the biggest mysteries of the draft, as shared agent Rich Paul publicly insisted there was no behind-the-scenes technology to ensure LeBron would play with his son. Regardless, few were surprised when the Lakers selected Bronny with the 55th overall pick.

There were doubts about whether Bronny would make an immediate impact in the NBA, considering he’s essentially an end-of-the-bench player with the Lakers, but the team decided to quickly put the father-son thing behind them.

Ken Griffey Jr. and Sr. are there to welcome LeBron and Bronny to a small club

Two of the few people who understand what Tuesday’s moment meant for the James family were present at the Crypto.com Arena.

Ken Griffey Jr. and Sr., who played together for the Seattle Mariners in 1990 and 1991, decided to follow the story together.

In the great history of North American sports, there are only a few fathers and sons who have played together, and there are decades in between. Gordie Howe was the first to do so when he played for the Hartford Whalers in 1979-1980 with his sons Mark and Marty. The Griffeys followed in the ’90s, then Tim Raines Sr. and Jr. did the same with the Baltimore Orioles in 2001.

In all previous cases, however, it involved an aging and less than cheerful father making his way to where his son or sons were playing. LeBron is the only one who brought his son to him.

What else can Bronny James do in the NBA?

For Bronny, playing legitimate professional sports with his father is an experience that few people can ever have. However, this is probably not the main reason why he chose this career.

If Bronny wants a long-term NBA career — if he wants to be known for something other than being the son of LeBron James — he still has a lot of work to do. It’s not unfair to say that players with Bronny’s background, aside from his parenthood, rarely reach an NBA spot and are even rarer to enjoy a career beyond their rookie contract.

Bronny wasn’t a five-star talent in high school. He was neither a star in college nor a freshman. He has a very serious health problem with his heart. He also doesn’t have the size that would allow him to follow in his father’s footsteps as a versatility monster.

Bronny’s early returns weren’t particularly encouraging either. He looked brutal in Summer League, shooting 32.7% from the field and 13% from 3-point range, and he wasn’t much better in the preseason at 29.4%. The Lakers also decided against letting him handle primary ball-handling duties during Summer League.

Simply put, guards who can’t shoot aren’t the best ball handlers on their team and will be on a list generous 6-foot-4 doesn’t last long in the NBA. The important part, however, isn’t assessing what Bronny is right now. It’s about evaluating what he can be.

Despite signing a guaranteed four-year contract in the NBA – another rarity for players of his caliber – Bronny has said he is open to playing in the G League and the Lakers are more likely to take him on than try to move him in to push the G League rotation immediately, Tuesday night notwithstanding. With a season or two of development, Bronny would be able to make progress that would not have been possible in his shortened college career.