FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images
LeBron James was in the NBA 20 years ago when his son, Bronny, was born.
He’s still in the NBA for an incredible 22nd season.
LeBron and Bronny James made history Tuesday when they took the floor together as Los Angeles Lakers teammates in the season opener against Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves. They became the first father-son duo to play in an NBA game and drew a standing ovation from the crowd when they checked in during the second quarter.
Los Angeles ended up winning the game 110-103, but the final score took a backseat to the historic moment on social media:
Bleacher Report @BleacherReport
LeBron: “You ready?”
Bronny: “Yup.”
This LeBron and Bronny moment mic’d up ❤️🎙️ pic.twitter.com/ffzTOoIdCx
Tom Petrini @RealTomPetrini
It’s actually very cool that LeBron and Bronny get to share this moment and we get to see it pic.twitter.com/EhDEwb8FTM
The James family made NBA history, but they are actually the fourth father-son duo to play together in North American professional sports. Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. famously played together on the Seattle Mariners and even hit back-to-back home runs. Elsewhere, Gordie Howe played with sons Mark and Marty in the NHL, and Tim Raines and Tim Raines Jr. played together for the Baltimore Orioles.
The Griffeys were even in attendance, further driving home the historical moment:
While much of the attention was on the history, there was still a game to be played. The younger James checked out shortly after entering, as the Lakers had their hands full in a measuring-stick contest against a Timberwolves team that reached the Western Conference Finals last season.
Minnesota looked different after adding Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo and trading Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks, and there was certainly an adjustment period as the Purple and Gold pounded the offensive glass and jumped out to a commanding 55-42 halftime lead.
LeBron James took a backseat for stretches as Anthony Davis overwhelmed Minnesota’s frontcourt as a scorer and on the boards while Rui Hachimura provided secondary offense.
To the Timberwolves’ credit, they fought back and trimmed the deficit to as little as four in the fourth quarter. Edwards unsurprisingly spearheaded the comeback efforts with 27 points, but the Lakers had an answer for every run.
Rather, Davis had an answer.
The big man finished with 36 points, 16 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and one steal. He made two critical back-to-back buckets in the final five minutes to keep the visitors at bay and was the best player on the floor in a game filled with star power.
He will look to keep things rolling Friday when the Lakers host the Phoenix Suns.
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