“You feel the intensity, right?” said LeBron. “But just play carefree. Don’t worry about mistakes. Go out there and play hard.”

Los Angeles led by 16 points when Bronny entered the game. He posted a time of 2:41 before returning to the bench, a stretch that satiated the crowd, put a huge checkmark on rookie coach JJ Redick’s to-do list and offered nearly an iconic moment.

Unfortunately, Bronny missed an open three-pointer from the left wing after a sharp pass from his Pops. In terms of box score, Bronny finished 0-for-2 from the floor with one offensive rebound and a minus-five rating, but few details registered with LeBron.

“That was something I will never forget, no matter how old I get or how my memory fades,” he said. “Everything was just great today. Everything.”

Bronny agreed.

“Going to the scorer’s table with my dad and checking in for the first time is a crazy moment that I will never forget,” he said.

Fellow LA rookie Dalton Knecht, a first-rounder from Tennessee, played 16 minutes Thursday, second-most among Lakers reserves.

O’Neal’s TNT counterpart, Charles Barkley, spent far more face time analyzing Knecht’s contributions than Bronny’s, a trend that will likely continue this season.

Bronny averaged 1.6 points and 1.2 rebounds during the preseason while shooting just 20% from the floor, suggesting some seasoning may be in store for the South Bay Lakers of the NBA G League.

Bronny was just a few months away from turning six when LeBron announced he was taking his talents to South Beach. Tuesday offered a remarkable full-circle moment.

“For me, I’ve lost a lot of time because of this league,” said LeBron, “committing to this league, being on the road… To be able to have this moment where I’m still working and outside of the league can work my son, it is one of the greatest gifts I have ever received from the man above. I’m going to take full advantage of it.”