LeBron James and Bronny James officially became the first father and son to take the court together in the NBA on Tuesday night during the Los Angeles Lakers’ season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena.

With four minutes to go in the second quarter, the duo checked into the game, prompting a big ovation from the home crowd who were aware of the enormity of this milestone. LeBron had already started the game and played 13 minutes before making history with his 20-year-old son.

LeBron James is the 39-year-old leading scorer in NBA history, while LeBron James Jr. was picked in the second round by the Lakers last summer. They are the first father and son to play in the world’s best basketball league at the same time, let alone on the same team.

“Y’all ready? You see the intensity, right? Just play carefree,” Dad said to his son on the couch before they checked in, a conversation captured by the TNT cameras and microphones. “Don’t worry about mistakes. Just go out there and play hard.”

LeBron and Bronny played together on the court for 2 1/2 minutes, and LeBron missed two perimeter shots before making a dunk. Bronny had an early rebound and missed a tip-in.

Bronny’s first NBA jump shot was a three-pointer that fell just short. He checked out with 1:19 left in the second quarter and received another ovation.

Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. stood courtside at the Lakers’ downtown arena to witness the same history they made in Major League Baseball. The two sluggers played 51 games together for the Seattle Mariners in 1990 and 1991 as baseball’s first father-son duo.

The Jameses and the Griffeys met during pre-game warmups for some photos and warm conversation between two notable family lines.

LeBron, a four-time NBA champion and 20-time All-Star, first spoke about his dream of playing alongside Bronny a few years ago while his eldest son was still in high school. The dream became a reality after Bronny entered the draft as a teenager after one collegiate season, and the Lakers took him with the 55th overall pick.

“It was a treat,” LeBron said during shootaround Tuesday morning. “In preseason, training, just every day… getting him up to speed on what this professional life is all about, and how to prepare every day as a professional.”

LeBron and Bronny joined a small club of father-son professional athletes who played together. The Griffeys made history 34 years ago, even homering in the same game on September 14, 1990.

Baseball Hall of Famer Tim Raines and his son of the same name also accomplished the feat with the Baltimore Orioles in 2001.

In hockey, Gordie Howe played with his two sons, Mark and Marty, with the WHA’s Houston Eros and Team Canada before spending one NHL season together with the Hartford Whalers in 1979-80, when Gordie was 51.

While the other family combinations on this list came late in the fathers’ careers, LeBron shows no signs of slowing down or declining as he enters his NBA record-breaking 22nd season.

LeBron averaged more than 25 points per game for his 20th straight season last year, and he remains the Lakers’ key player alongside Anthony Davis as they try to recapture the form that won a championship in 2020 and took them to the Finals the Western Conference. in 2023.

Bronny survived cardiac arrest and open-heart surgery in the summer of 2023, and he played a truncated freshman season at the University of Southern California. He declared for the draft anyway, and the Lakers eagerly used the fourth-to-last pick in the draft on the 6-foot-1 guard.

LeBron spent the summer in Europe with the gold medal-winning U.S. team at the Paris Olympics, while Bronny played for the Lakers in the summer league. They started practicing together with the Lakers before heading to training camp.

The duo played together for the first time in the preseason, logging four minutes earlier this month during a game against Phoenix just outside Palm Springs.

The Lakers were fully aware of the history they would make with this combination, and coach JJ Redick recently spoke with the Jameses about a plan to make it happen early in the regular season.

The Griffeys’ presence probably made it inevitable for opening night, even though Redick said the Lakers still wanted it to happen “naturally, over the course of the game.”

The Lakers have declined to speculate on how long Bronny will remain on their NBA roster. Los Angeles also has point guards D’Angelo Russell, Gabe Vincent and Jalen Hood-Schifino, which likely makes minutes scarce for Bronny, who will likely need regular playing time to elevate his game to a consistent NBA level.

These factors indicate that Bronny will likely end up with the G League affiliate South Bay Lakers soon. LeBron and Redick have both spoken positively about the South Bay team, saying player development is an important part of the Lakers organization.

Miami forward Kevin Love, who knew all the James children — Bronny, Bryce and Zhuri — from his time as LeBron James’ teammate in Cleveland, said it was “an incredible moment” to see father and son play together.

“I grew up a Mariners fan, so I saw Griffey and then Griffey Sr. But this is different because LeBron is still a top five player in the league,” Love said. “This game, man. That’s why we got that TV deal ($76 billion). The storylines and the things that happen like this, it’s an incredible story. This is really cool to see.”