For the first time in NBA history, a father-son duo took the court together in front of a packed crowd at Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs, California on Sunday evening.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James and Bronny James shared the floor at the 12:00 mark of the second quarter, on a night where the Lakers fell to the Phoenix Suns 118-114 in a preseason matchup.
“Not real,” LeBron said postgame on his emotions of playing with his son. “Still trying to get a little bit used to it, but pretty cool. It’s pretty cool for the both of us and especially for our family.”
“It’s surreal,” said Lakers coach JJ Redick before the game. “I’m very honored that I get to be part of history.”
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The night was even more special for Bronny as he celebrated his 20th birthday, admitting that he could not help but think about the historic moment in his second preseason game.
“I’m always thinking about, ‘That’s my dad’ because that’s literally my dad,” Bronny said. “So I just go out there and, when I’m playing, he’s just my teammate. That’s all I’m thinking at that point.”
Bronny scored two points on 1-of-6 shooting in 16 minutes in his NBA debut against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night, but was held scoreless in 13 minutes against the Suns.
“We stood next to each other and I kinda looked at him, and it was just like, ‘Is this The Matrix or something?’” LeBron said. “It just didn’t feel real. But it was great to have those moments out there with him.”
“For a father, it means everything,” LeBron added. “For someone who didn’t have that growing up, to be able to have that influence on your kids and have influence on your son. Be able to have moments with your son. And ultimately, to be able to work with your son. I think that’s one of the greatest things that a father can ever hope for or wish for.”
James led the Lakers with 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting while also adding five rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Forward Anthony Davis, who also played in his first preseason game of the year finished with 17 points, eight rebounds, three assists and one steal in 18 minutes for Los Angeles.
“Felt like I never missed a beat,” Davis said, on James throwing [Davis] a lob dunk in the first period.
Guard Josh Okogie led the Suns with 15 points off the bench. Guard Devin Booker scored 12 points, guard Bradley Beal had 11 and forward Kevin Durant added six points as Phoenix did not play its key starters in the second half.
The Lakers led 69-57 at halftime but the Suns outscored Los Angeles 28-23 in the third, getting within seven after Gabe Vincent drilled a three-pointer at the buzzer to make it 92-85 going into the fourth.
Phoenix used a 12-4 run to start the fourth quarter after an Okogie dunk gave the Suns a 97-96 lead with 6:12 remaining. Guard Max Christie hit three-pointers on back-to-back possessions for the Lakers while retaking a 105-104 lead with just over four minutes to play. Phoenix then closed out the game with a 14-9 run.
Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht had a chance at a go-ahead three-pointer with 6.2 seconds remaining but missed the attempt and forward Ryan Dunn went the length of the floor for a game-sealing dunk to give the Suns a 118-114 win.
