The groundbreaking first father-son pairing in NBA history has officially taken shape, with LeBron James and his eldest child, Bronny, joining forces on the Los Angeles Lakers for the upcoming 2024-25 season.
On media day, the 39-year-old LeBron, now in his 22nd season in the NBA, was photographed alongside his 19-year-old son, who was selected as the 55th overall pick in this year’s draft.
With Bronny sporting the #9 jersey and wearing a pair of his father’s shoes, the duo posed together, beaming for the cameras.
LeBron x Bronny at Lakers media day 👏
(via @NBA)pic.twitter.com/z7DrP0HFz4
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) September 30, 2024
When queried about how he would refer to his father during games, Bronny admitted he was uncertain, especially since LeBron nixed any idea of being called “dad.” He likely will land on “Bron,” which he deemed the simplest option.
The joy of making history. #LakersMediaDay x @bibigoUSA pic.twitter.com/bDVcuodjA7
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) September 30, 2024
LeBron expressed that being able to play with his son is an extraordinary moment, calling it “pure joy.”
“It’s a lot of excitement. Just a pure joy.”
LeBron’s looking forward to playing with Bronny 🤝#NBAMediaDay pic.twitter.com/HGrjiuwi6U
— NBA (@NBA) September 30, 2024
“When it comes to him (Bronny), I’m just at a loss for words. I’m so proud of him for reaching this milestone… He’s matured and is ready for this,” LeBron stated.
Notably, the two shared several memorable moments during their discussions with the media. They recounted the infamous practice play that Lakers GM Rob Pelinka had described last week, where LeBron allegedly scored on Bronny, following which he made a social media post stating, “Great defense. Better Offense.”
The season hasn’t even started and LeBron is already trash talking Bronny 😭 pic.twitter.com/5mL37WNiUG
— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) September 25, 2024
Bronny on having to guard LeBron.
“He stepped outta bounds..”#LakersMediaDay#NBAMediaDay pic.twitter.com/GFzUA6FmDk— Team LeBron 👑 (@LeBronJames) September 30, 2024
When this topic arose, Bronny defended himself, saying, “I reviewed the footage, and he did step out of bounds, but I won’t press that point right now.”
LeBron replied, “What do you mean you aren’t going to press it now? You just did!”
As the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, he highlighted another moment where he apparently denied Bronny a scoring opportunity.
In quick response, Bronny remarked, “Nah, that was a foul too; you hit my entire arm.”
Amidst the lighthearted banter, LeBron also recounted a story from when he realized that his five-year-old son had the potential to be an NBA player.
This story from LeBron about Bronny is pretty dope!
Give it a listen 👇 pic.twitter.com/zCYHD3wEY0
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) September 30, 2024
LeBron recounted, “When Bronny was about five or six years old, he was playing in a little league back in Akron, Ohio… He snagged a rebound and went coast to coast, weaving through a few kids and making a layup, before casually trotting back,” illustrating how he knew in that moment, “Oh, he’s something special.”
Basketball fans will get their first glimpse of both Jameses on the court together when the Lakers face off against the Minnesota Timberwolves in their first preseason game on Friday, October 4 at 4:30 PM ET. The two teams will also meet again for the season opener at Crypto.com Arena on October 22 at 4:00 PM ET.
