The Los Angeles Lakers lost to Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night, but history was made anyway in Palm Springs, California. At the 12:00 mark of the second quarter, LeBron James and Bronny James shared the court together, marking the first time a father and son played side by side on an NBA floor.
LeBron is 39 and entering his 22nd season, his seventh with the Los Angeles Lakers. Bronny, 20, was the Lakers’ second-round pick in the 2024 draft, after spending one season at USC.
Bronny made his preseason debut Thursday against the Minnesota Timberwolves, scoring two points on 1-6 shooting in 16 minutes in a game the Lakers lost 124-107. LeBron made his debut Sunday night, leading the Lakers with 19 points on 8-12 shooting, while Bronny played 13 minutes and was held scoreless.
Our NBA insiders break down the historic night, from what Bronny has shown on the court through training camp and two preseason games, to what more he needs to prove in order to get actual, meaningful NBA minutes.
What Bronny has shown on the court so far
Above all else, he’s shown a level of competitiveness on the defensive end and on the ball. That was clear in the three blocks he had in 16 minutes of work in the Lakers’ preseason opener last week. (Bronny also showcased his defensive work ethic during the first defensive possession he shared with LeBron, in which the Lakers forced a turnover, with father and son serving as stoppers together by swarming at the top of the key.)
Bronny isn’t always mistake-free on D. He fouled a three-point shooter in the final two minutes of a close game on Sunday, for instance. But he has very quick feet and is physically strong enough to occasionally stand people up. That’s the good news. The challenge is the flipside: that creating his own offense, and doing so efficiently, won’t come easily. Especially when you consider the demands of the position he plays, and the fact that minutes won’t come freely once the games begin to count for something.
He had three turnovers in his first three minutes of action Sunday (and four miscues total), including committing a traveling violation and an illegal screen. Beyond that, the 20-year-old has shot a combined 1-for-7 so far through Los Angeles’s first two preseason contests — an early indication that he’ll likely have to work as much as he can to develop his offense within the margins of practices and garbage time after the regular season kicks off. — Chris Herring
Where Bronny James is rotation-ready, and where he isn’t
For Bronny to crack the Lakers rotation, it would have to come at the expense of last year’s first-round pick, Jalen Hood-Schifino, and veteran guard Gabe Vincent.
If he does see spot minutes during the regular season, it will be because of his strong defensive presence.
James can hold his own there, as evidenced by his chase-down block of the Timberwolves’ Nickeil Alexander-Walker in the exhibition opener. He finished the game blocking two more shots. In the Lakers second preseason game, he harassed veteran point guard Tyus Jones and even defended forward Royce O’Neale.
“He can do some things defensively at his size that are really unique, and I think can turn into a really disruptive defender,” Lakers head coach JJ Redick said after the Minnesota game. “That manifested itself. On the offensive end, he’s still figuring out who he is. That’s our job as a player development program just to build him in.”
Indeed his offense continues to be a work in progress.
His struggles from summer league have carried over to both preseason games so far. In Sunday’s game against the Suns, Redick made it a priority to surround James with shooters Austin Reaves and Dalton Knecht; last season at USC, James shot 36.6% from the field and 26.7% on three-pointers.
With G-League training camp not starting until October 28 and South Bay Lakers first game November 9, expect Bronny James to be on the Lakers active roster to start the season, even if his role is not yet defined. — Bobby Marks
What these shared minutes between LeBron and Bronny mean — for now
What did you do to celebrate your 20th birthday? For Bronny, he played with his dad in an NBA game for the first time, with Kevin Durant, who has known Bronny since he was a toddler, on the other side.
The father and son acted totally nonchalantly, as if it was just a typical Sunday night, but, of course, this was special. The crowd knew it too. The first time LeBron passed the ball to Bronny you could hear the fans murmur in anticipation. And this was just a tease. When this happens in the regular season, it’s going to be a truly unique moment in league history. — Brian Windhorst
