LeBron James and his son Bronny play their first game together with the Los Angeles Lakers

This was one of the symbolic goals at the end of LeBron James’ career and it was achieved on Sunday October 6. The best scorer in NBA history and his son LeBron James Jr., known as “Bronny”, participated, with the Los Angeles Lakers jersey on their shoulders, in a pre-season meeting between the Californian franchise and the Phoenix Suns. A father and son in the same colors is a first in the history of the North American Basketball League.

This unique association was expected since the last draft – the scholarship allowing the recruitment of new players in the NBA – of June and the selection of Bronny James in 55^e position by the Lakers. It became reality at the start of the second quarter of this match played in Palm Springs, about 200 kilometers east of Los Angeles (California), on the very day of Bronny’s twentieth birthday.

“We came out of a timeout and found ourselves there, next to each other. I looked at him. It was like in [le film de science-fiction] Matrix or something like that. It seemed unreal. But it was incredible”commented LeBron James, who will turn 40 at the end of December and has already scored more than 40,000 career points.

“A moment I will never forget”

“It’s great for both of us, and even more so for our family… It’s a moment that I will never forget”added “LBJ”, who extended his contract with the Lakers for two years with the prospect of playing on the floors with Bronny.

The Lakers’ 118-114 defeat against the Suns, two weeks before the start of the regular season, is therefore anecdotal. Just like the statistics of the match: if the father achieved a performance worthy of his status, with 19 points in just 16 minutes of play, the guard Bronny did not score a single point, only attempting a shot in 13 minutes.

The pride, however, was contagious, according to the new Lakers coach, J.-J. Redick. “I am truly honored to have been a part of this moment in historyhe said. As a basketball fan, this is great. It says something about LeBron’s longevity, his competitive spirit. And it also says all the work that Bronny had to do to get there. »

Taunts

The words of the Lakers coach are also a way of reinforcing the legitimacy of James Jr., who is regularly the subject of taunts according to which he should only have his place as “son of”.

Bronny James, who played last season at the University of Southern California (USC), almost never experienced this moment. In the summer of 2023, he suffered a cardiac arrest, caused by a congenital malformation, during training. Despite this medical alert, J.-J. Redick is confident about the basketball player’s future: “He’s going to have a great opportunity to become a great NBA player.”he said in July.

If the Lakers begin their regular season on October 22 at home against Minnesota, it is not certain, however, that the presence of Bronny James will be guaranteed: like many players recruited in the second round of the draft, he could spend most of the season in G -League, the NBA development league.

But, for the father, happiness is already there. “It’s a lot of excitement, pure joy to be able to come to work every day, work hard with your son and continue to see him grow”he savored on Sunday.