Lakers beat Timberwolves in season opener, Bronny James makes history: Instant reaction and updates
LOS ANGELES — The James family made history Tuesday night when patriarch LeBron James and his eldest son, Bronny, appeared in the same regular-season game, marking the first time the father-son duo competed together in 79 NBA games. exist.
In the 2024-25 season opener, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 110-103. The important moment occurred with 4:00 left in the second quarter. LeBron and Bronny stood up from the bench to check on the game. .
At that time, the Lakers led 51-35, and James had already scored 6 points and 3 rebounds. The father and son took off their warm-up jerseys after approaching the scorer’s table, which lasted 2 minutes and 31 seconds.
“I was wondering why everyone was cheering so loudly during the dead ball, and then I realized what was happening,” Lakers coach J.J. Redick said. “We’re feeling out the game and it’s going to be towards the end of the first half and the game provides an opportunity for (Bronny) to get some playing time.”
Bronny fired a quick shot to Julius Randle, had his first shot blocked by reigning Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert, and then tried to connect with LeBron with about 1:40 left before halftime. Passed the ball and shot, but the shot went wide. Bronny defended All-Star Anthony Edwards and forced a missed shot on the Lakers’ next defensive possession.
During their brief time together, NBA all-time scoring leader LeBron threw down a baseline dunk over Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr., who famously The father and son knew a thing or two about it.
“Are you ready? Play carefree…just go out and play hard.”
Year 22, some advice for Year 1. pic.twitter.com/g5Trgujjzt
— NBA (@NBA) October 23, 2024
When Browne was subbed out with 1:29 left before halftime, Los Angeles public address announcer Lawrence Tanter called attention to what had just happened, telling the sold-out crowd that it had “just witnessed history.” .
“That moment, us sitting on the scorer’s table together, checking in together, it’s something I’ll never forget,” LeBron said. “No matter how old I get, no matter how my memory fades as I get older, I will never forget that moment.”
The rest of the James family — wife and mother Savannah, son and brother Bryce, daughter and sister Juri, who turns 10 on Tuesday — sat on the baseline near the Lakers bench. LeBron got emotional talking about them, part of the milestone he and Bronny reached.
“Everything was great today,” LeBron said. “Everything, from the moment I wake up. I see my daughter before she goes to school. I go to work and see my son at work. Come on game, everything, man.
As for Bronny, who didn’t score a point in those three minutes and didn’t come back, he said he was trying to “not pay attention to everything that was going on around him; I was focused on coming in as a rookie and trying not to mess up.
“I’m a little anxious about it,” said Bronny, whom the Lakers selected with the No. 55 pick in June. “The first game on the court, it was a little nerve-wracking. But once we got on the court and we were up and down a few times, it all went away and I felt good.
“Family above all else”🤞👑@KingJames Brownie catches up @tylerroux After beating Minnesota! pic.twitter.com/8mnV7Y9kA9
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) October 23, 2024
This game belonged to Anthony Davis, who scored an astonishing 36 points and 16 rebounds in the first 37 minutes. Edwards led the Timberwolves with 27 points and five three-pointers. Davis now has 100 games with at least 25 points and 15 rebounds.
James scored 16 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Rui Hachimura contributed 18 points for the Lakers. The game and win were Redick’s first on the Lakers’ bench, and his players greeted him with the customary water bottle showers that won his first game. The team hired him over the summer after a 15-year career as an NBA broadcaster for ESPN for one season.
Edwards led the Timberwolves with 27 points and five three-pointers. Former Laker Randle, who was traded to Minnesota by the New York Knicks in a blockbuster deal for Karl-Anthony Towns in September, had 16 points and nine rebounds in his Wolves debut.
“This is the first time we’ve had a LeBron moment, and it’s a great thing that we’ve won,” Davis said, referring to the Lakers’ moment when LeBron passed Kareem Abdul-Jay. The loss came on a night when Barr became the league’s most prolific scorer.
The simultaneous reporting of James and Bronny is the first time in NBA history that a father and son have appeared together in a real game, and the fourth time in modern major American professional sports. LeBron and Bronny, who made a brief appearance in a preseason game on Oct. 6, played with the NHL’s House, father Gordie and sons Mark and Marty, who played for the Hartford Catchers in the 1979-80 season. Whales, Tim Raines Sr. and Tim Raines Jr. (Baltimore Orioles, 2001) and Griffey (Seattle Mariners, 1990).
The Griffeys enjoyed a pregame meal with Nike executives at Smashburger Live in Los Angeles, where they sat under a basket on the Lakers’ bench at the other end of the court. Ken Sr. and Ken Jr. hugged LeBron and Bronny (remember, Bronny’s birth name is LeBron) and posed for photos before the game.
“Right now, we still have work to do,” James said. “We don’t want it to be a circus, and we don’t want it to be about us. We want it to be about the team.
This is LeBron’s 22nd season, tied with Vince Carter for the most seasons in NBA history. LeBron, 39, has won four NBA championships, four league MVPs, appeared in a record 20 All-Star games and won his third Olympic gold medal with Team USA in Paris, among other career Career highlights.
When Bronny, 20, entered eighth grade, his father joined the Lakers and the family moved from Cleveland to Los Angeles. He mentioned LeBron leading the Cavaliers to the NBA championship in 2016 and watching him co-lead the U.S. against Serbia in the Olympic semifinals last summer as two of the best things he’s seen his father do on the court. Something inspiring.
“With both of those things, I thought, ‘This is a crazy sport and I really want to be a part of it,'” Browne said.
Bronny overcame heart surgery in the summer of 2023 and played last season for the USC Trojans. Even though he struggled as a role player, the Lakers not only drafted Bronny but gave him a four-year, $7.9 million deal — good for someone selected low in the draft. Said to be rare.
“We had a moment when he was drafted and we all had the opportunity to be together as a family in New York,” LeBron said. “We were there for a while because we were just thinking about the horrific events that happened not too long ago. … When he’s able to shine on an NBA court, whether it’s tonight or anytime, it’s going to be understanding of what he’s been through. Another moment of adversity.
“I have several family members who have had heart surgery. Some of them are older, some of them are younger. Knowing how long it takes to get back to normal, and seeing him being able to compete at the collegiate level the same year he had heart surgery, it’s really cool. A “wow” moment. I knew at that moment, there was really nothing that could stop him from achieving that — anything he wanted to do and still play basketball.
James recalled Bronny’s first words after heart surgery, illustrating his son’s desire to stay on the court.
“The first thing he asked, he asked the doctor after his heart surgery, was like, ‘When can I play ball again?'” James said. “Instead of, ‘How long will it take for my heart to heal?'” Or not, “How long did it take for me to have surgery?” None of that. He asked, ‘When can I play again?’
Bronny’s debut wasn’t as explosive as his father’s first game as a pro. On October 29, 2003, James scored 25 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists in Sacramento for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who had selected him with the No. 1 pick a few months earlier.
The Lakers are expected to shuttle Bronny back and forth between the NBA and their affiliate in the South Bay when the G League season begins next month. While Bronny is not in the G-League, he is not expected to have a major role with the Lakers, at least initially.
“I talked about this years ago. For this moment to come, it’s really cool,” LeBron said. “I had no idea that this was actually going to hit either of us for a minute.”
At halftime, the Lakers honored the late Jerry West with a video tribute. West, who died on June 12 at the age of 86, was one of the greatest players in Lakers history and led the team to six championships as general manager.
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(Photo: Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)
