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LeBron and Bronny James playing their first game together is something to celebrate
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LeBron and Bronny James playing their first game together is something to celebrate

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The Los Angeles Lakers had their moments in their season opener.

New Lakers coach JJ Redick coached his first game. Not just his first NBA game. His first match period.

The Lakers defeated the Timberwolves 110-103.

But the biggest moment, the historic moment – ​​for the Lakers, for the NBA, for LeBron James and his family and friends – came when James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, and his son were at four o’clock in the second quarter. Bronny, a 20-year-old rookie, competed in the game together, becoming the first father-son duo to play in a regular-season NBA game.

It will be difficult for any other father-son combination to achieve that in the NBA because of the unusual longevity it requires from the father and the talent it requires from the son.

And that’s why TNT’s Stan Van Gundy, announcing Tuesday’s Lakers-Timberwolves game, said last week, “This is something worth celebrating.”

Given the way the world is going, especially today, not everyone celebrates this. Some hearts have shriveled a little too much.

“Personally, I am tired of all the criticism of Bronny and he should have been elected. That will be reflected in his career,” said Van Gundy. “From what I’ve seen and heard the kid say, he seems like a great young man who just wants to work and be a good player.”

The Lakers did this the right way and pulled it out early in the first game. “If that happens, we’ll all be happy to be a part of it,” Redick told reporters before the game.

Bronny played just three minutes, missed his two field goal attempts, didn’t score and had one rebound. That’s no surprise for the second-round pick, who will likely spend a lot of time on the Lakers’ G League squad.

Now Bronny can get to work on becoming a better basketball player now that he has this behind him. He was the 55th pick in June’s draft, nearly a year after he suffered sudden cardiac arrest before starting his freshman season at Southern California.

Before that, Bronny had moved up the ranks, showing improvement. But the cardiac arrest slowed his development and affected his military service. Still, he worked to make himself a potential draft pick, and the Lakers weren’t the only team considering drafting him.

And it’s not like the Lakers used a first-round pick or even an early second-round pick on Bronny. The 55th pick in any NBA draft is a player a team wants to develop over multiple seasons. The 55th pick in the 2023 draft, Isaiah Wong, has played just one NBA game. 2022 No. 55 pick Gui Santos did not play in a single NBA game in 2022-23 and spent that season in the G League.

Bronny’s basketball career isn’t measured by Summer League, G League games or three minutes of the Lakers’ season opener. This is a multi-year process.

Before Bronny checked in, Dad had a few words. “You see the intensity, right? But just play carefree. Don’t worry about mistakes. Go out there and play hard.”

After the game, Bronny told TNT that checking into the game with his dad was “a crazy moment I’ll never forget.”

LeBron said: “To be able to have this moment where I’m still working and working with my son is one of the greatest gifts I’ve ever received from the man above and I’m going to take full advantage of it. .”

What a cool, beautiful moment. For sports. For the NBA. For LeBron James and Bronny James.