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LeBron James watched from the bench as his son, Bronny James, made his NBA preseason debut for the LA Lakers on Friday. The 19-year-old played 16 minutes in a 124-107 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, showcasing some potential with two points.
Bronny entered the game in the second quarter, playing through the first half and most of the fourth. After missing his initial five shots, he finally scored a layup with less than a minute remaining, earning cheers from the crowd at Acrisure Arena.
Although his shooting wasn't sharp, the 6-foot-2 guard demonstrated his defensive abilities by blocking three shots, along with one rebound and one assist.
“He can do some things defensively at his size that are really unique, and I think can turn into a really disruptive defender. 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. But truthfully, he’s so easy to coach. He’s got a great soul. And just a great energy about him. I like being around him. I’m rooting for him. He’s a good player that we’re happy to have in our program," Lakers coach JJ Redick noted when discussing Bronny’s performance. “
LeBron maintained a calm demeanor throughout the game while observing Bronny. Redick chose to rest LeBron against the Timberwolves, but the 39-year-old may play against the Phoenix Suns on Sunday, coinciding with Bronny’s 20th birthday.
Bronny, whose jersey features “James Jr.” on the back, was selected 55th overall by the Lakers in the 2024 NBA draft, reuniting him with his father at the franchise. The duo is on track to become the first father-son pairing in NBA history.
Reflecting on this milestone during a recent Lakers media event, LeBron expressed, “When it comes to him (Bronny), I’m just at a loss for words. (I’m) just super proud of him to be able to get to this point. He’s a man, and he’s ready to go. It’s just so joyous to be able to see him grow and to know what he has been through over the last couple of years. And to just use that as motivation every single day and to get back and get to where he wanted to be.”
