On Sunday, LeBron James and Bronny James became the first father and son duo to play in the same game. The Los Angeles Lakers lost 118-114 to the Phoenix Suns in a star-studded preseason affair at Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs, California. Although the Lakers went down, NBA history was made in the second quarter.
Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum was among those who reacted to the moment on social media. He went on Instagram to post a photo of the pair of James hoopers and captioned it:
“Respect.”
•
The four-time NBA MVP started the game before his son joined him in the second quarter. After months of waiting, basketball fans finally got what they anticipated when Bronny came off the bench to play in the second period. JJ Redick, the Lakers’ new coach, said after the game that based on their substitution patterns, putting the rookie in to play with his father was the right move.
LeBron James’ stint with his son didn’t last long though. Redick substituted the younger James for Gabe Vincent after the youngster missed a shot and committed three straight turnovers. The former USC guard didn’t see action until the fourth quarter.
Meanwhile, the league’s oldest player had his usual impact. He had 19 points, five rebounds, four assists and two blocks in 16 minutes. The franchise cornerstone sat out the entire fourth quarter.
LeBron James, Bronny James and the LA Lakers will get their first look at Tatum and Celtics on Jan. 23 at Crypto.com Arena. It will be the Lakers’ first meeting with the defending champs in the new season. The rematch is scheduled to take place on March 8 at TD Garden.
Last season, the Celtics and Lakers ended with a 1-1 record in their regular season matchups. Tatum and Co. traveled to Holywood on Christmas Day to beat James’ team 126-115 before Los Angeles won the rematch 114-105 in Boston.
Celtics versus Lakers games are always highly sought after but this season will be quite interesting. Jaylen Brown, Tatum’s co-star in Boston, was caught in a video earlier this year reportedly saying that Bronny James doesn’t belong in the NBA. Brown made the apparent comment while watching LeBron James’ son play against the Celtics in the Las Vegas Summer League.
