Melissa Rohlin

FOX Sports NBA Writer

The stage was perfectly set for LeBron James and his son, Bronny, to make history as the first father-son duo to play in an NBA game during the Los Angeles Lakers’ season opener against Minnesota on Tuesday.

Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr. (the first father and son to work together in the MLB more than 30 years ago) sat courtside. James’ wife, Savannah, and daughter, Zhuri, were in attendance. To make things even sweeter for the Jameses, it happened to be Zhuri’s 10th birthday.

Lakers coach JJ Redick knew he would come on for Bronny late in the first half. The second came with four minutes left in the second quarter and the Lakers led by 16 points. Father and son walked to the scorer’s table and finished their warm-up. The sold-out crowd at Crypto.com Arena stood and cheered. Zhuri clasped her hands together and grinned widely.

The next few minutes were less eventful.

Bronny missed both of his shot attempts, including a three-pointer from a cross from his father. He grabbed an offensive rebound. He briefly guarded Timberwolves superstar Anthony Edwards. He left the game with 1:19 left in the half and did not return.

But none of that mattered.

More importantly, it was a dream come true for James, the oldest active player in the league at 39, whose goal was to play with his son. And it was a surreal moment for Bronny, the 20-year-old 55th overall pick in June’s NBA Draft, who didn’t know if he would ever play basketball again after going into cardiac arrest during a USC practice in August 2023. .

“Obviously, that moment, when we sat together at the scorer’s table and checked in together, it’s something I’ll never forget, no matter how old I get, no matter how my memory fades as I get older or whatever, I will never forget that moment never forget,” said James, who finished with 16 points, five rebounds and four assists in the Lakers’ 110-103 victory.

When James and Bronny weren’t playing, they sat next to each other on the couch. A few times, James covered his face with a towel while speaking to his son so that no intrusive cameras could reveal his words.

(Related: LeBron and Bronny James are making history)

After the game, James and Anthony Davis, whose lockers are next to each other, chatted about football while getting dressed, which often happens after wins. Bronny dressed in silence.

Then James and Bronny walked into the interview room together and sat next to each other on stage as they answered questions from the media.

James was asked to remember how he felt before his first game as a rookie with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003. At the time, he was an 18-year-old who had already been dubbed “The Chosen One” and the possible successor to Michaël Jordaan.

“It was very stressful for me,” James said. “I didn’t get much sleep the night before. I didn’t get much sleep during my pre-game nap. I was extremely nervous. I felt the world of the game of basketball on my shoulders and I felt like pretty much everyone else except my family and friends, wanted me to fail. And I just passed that on.”

What are the expectations for Bronny and LeBron?

Of course, Bronny has very different expectations. The question is not whether he will take over the league, but how long he can stay in it.

That said, he still faces crushing pressure. He doesn’t want to be in his father’s shadow. He doesn’t want his tenure in the NBA to be dismissed as nepotism. He wants to make a name for himself.

Bronny acknowledged that it was “a little nerve-wracking” stepping onto the field, but added that it faded after a few runs up and down.

“I tried not to focus on everything that was going on around me and tried to focus on coming in as a newcomer and not messing up,” Bronny said. “But yeah, I really felt the energy and I appreciate the Laker Nation for supporting me and my dad.”

Davis, who has been teammates and close friends with James since 2019 and is intimately familiar with Bronny’s journey, said it was “monumental” to see them take the field together and acknowledged that he was rooting for the rookie.

“We wanted those three to go in,” said Davis, who had 36 points and 16 rebounds. “Bron threw it to him and obviously we wanted it to go in. But just seeing them get to the scorer’s table at the same time gave me a little chills.”

While the moment was undeniably special, in many ways it was also clear that both father and son wanted to get it out of the way, for their sake and that of the team.

James wants to focus on helping the Lakers become a championship-caliber franchise after their exit in the first round of the playoffs last season. He wants to help his son develop. And he doesn’t want his dream to become a distraction.

As for Bronny, Tuesday was an incredible moment.

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He saw how his father had so many and wished he could one day do something similar. He was amazed to see how James helped Cleveland overcome a 3-1 deficit in the 2016 NBA Finals. And how James led Team USA to overcome a 17-point deficit in the semifinals of the 2024 Olympic Games to overcome on the way to winning the gold medal.

Now he was part of one of his father’s proudest moments. And for both of them it will take a while for it to sink in.

“I don’t know if it’s going to happen to either of us for a minute where we can really sit back and say, ‘Oh, sheesh, that was beautiful, that’s pretty crazy,’” James said.

Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the competition for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.

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