On October 22nd, 2024, LeBron James Jr., or Bronny James, son of NBA all time leading scorer, LeBron James, played his first two minutes and 41 seconds on an NBA basketball court. Normally, a player selected so far down the draft board would not be the focus of the media’s attention. However, Bronny and LeBron were both substituted in at the same time, marking the first time that a father and son have shared the court together in NBA history.
ESPN’s newest senior NBA insider Shams Charania gave a not so subtle hint on the historic event before it occurred, saying, “We’re going to be seeing NBA history very, very soon. The expectation with the Lakers is that their debut together, the first father-son duo in NBA history to play at the same time, in a game, will be as soon as opening night on Tuesday, October 22nd, against the Minnesota Timberwolves at home at the Crypto.com Arena, from everything that I’m told.”
This feat has been achieved in the MLB by Ken Griffey Jr. and Ken Griffey Sr., and also in the NHL by Bobby Hull and Brett Hull. In both cases, the father was inducted into their sport’s respective hall of fame.
This achievement is a true representation of LeBron’s longevity, as he began his NBA career before Bronny was even born. He also has been an NBA all star every year since Bronny’s birth.
Bronny James has always garnered attention for his abilities on the basketball court, though it’s been questioned whether the focus on him is justified or not. According to 247 Sports, Bronny James was slated as the 28th ranked player out of high school. 247’s director of scouting, Adam Finkelstein, described him as, “a strong-bodied combo-guard with a well-rounded game.” In college, Bronny James ended up averaging 10.0 points on 36.6% from the field, along with 1.6 steals per game when these numbers are averaged out over the course of 36 minutes.
However, this is when some question marks over the Lakers selection of Bronny at the 55th pick begin to arise, as he was picked over fellow Freshman and former #1 ranked basketball player Justin Edwards. On the same scale, Edwards averaged 16.4 points on 48.6% from the field and 1.6 steals per game. He also had much more hype coming out of high school, and a much more NBA ready frame at 6 ‘8’, 203 pounds as opposed to Bronny James who was 6′ 2’, 210 pounds. Nonetheless, the Lakers still decided to give Bronny a chance, and he has definitely shown flashes of greatness in his past as a basketball player.
After being drafted, Bronny signed a four year contract worth $7.9 million which is fully guaranteed through the next two NBA seasons. This will give Bronny multiple years to develop as a basketball player and hopefully make a name for himself that is separate from his father’s.