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 game 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 with 4:00 left in the second quarter when James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, and his son Bronny, a 20-year-old rookie, checked into the game together, becoming the first father-son duo to play in an NBA regular-season game.
It will be difficult for another father-son combo to accomplish that in the NBA because of the unusual longevity it requires of the father and the talent it requires of the son.
And that’s why TNT’s Stan Van Gundy, who was calling Tuesday’s Lakers-Timberwolves game, said last week that, “This is something that should be celebrated.”
Now, given the way of the world, especially today, not everyone is celebrating it. Some hearts have shriveled a tad too much.
“Personally, I’m tired of all of the criticism of Bronny and should’ve he had been picked. That’ll play out in his career,” Van Gundy said. “Everything I’ve observed and listened to 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 got it out of the way early in the first game. “Whenever that does happen, we’re all going to be thrilled 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 not a surprise for the second-round pick who likely will spend significant time with the Lakers’ G League squad.
Now, Bronny can get to the business of becoming a better basketball player with this behind him. He was the 55th pick in the June draft almost one year after sustaining sudden cardiac arrest before he began his freshman season at Southern California.
Before that, Bronny had moved up draft boards, showing improvement. But the cardiac arrest slowed his development and impacted his draft position. Still, he worked to make himself a potential draft pick, and the Lakers weren’t the only team who considered 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 several seasons. The 55th pick in the 2023 draft, Isaiah Wong, has played in just one NBA game. The No. 55 pick in 2022, Gui Santos, didn’t play in one NBA game in 2022-23, spending that season in the G League.
Bronny’s basketball career won’t be 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. “See the intensity, right? Just play carefree though. Don’t worry about mistakes. Go out and play hard.”
After the game, Bronny told TNT checking into the game with his dad was “a crazy moment I’ll never forget.”
Said LeBron: “To be able to have this moment where I’m working still, and I can work alongside my son is one of the greatest gifts I’ve ever gotten from the man above and I’m going to take full advantage of it.”
What a cool, wonderful moment. For sports. For the NBA. For LeBron James and Bronny James.