NBA legend LeBron James and his son Bronny made history on Oct. 22 by becoming the first father and son teammates to share court time.
At about the four-minute mark in the second quarter of the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, LeBron “Bronny” James Jr. walked to the scorer’s table ahead of James Sr. and tore off his warm-ups as Crypto.com Arena erupted in applause at the magnitude of the moment.
LeBron James Sr. and LeBron James Jr. make history
The episode provided a powerful backdrop to opening night for the Lakers, who thoroughly defeated the Wolves, 110-103 — though the game was never as close as the final score indicated.
LeBron James was inspired by baseball icon Ken Griffey Jr.
The moment was made extra special for the James family because Ken Griffey Jr. fulfilled a promise made years ago. He told King James he’d come to the game if he and Bronny James had a chance to replicate the feat Griffey Jr. accomplished with his father, Ken Griffey Sr., in Major League Baseball in the early 1990s.
Ken Griffey Jr. was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in 1990 and played on the same baseball diamond with his father. That historic scene made an enormous impression on James Sr., who was about six years old in Akron, Ohio, at the time. Griffey Jr. — who grew up on the other side of the state in Cincinnati because Griffey Sr. played for the Reds in the 1970s — attended King James’ opening night in the NBA in 2003. Their friendship grew from there.
“When [LeBron and Bronny James’ feat] happens, I’m going to be there. I’m going to take my dad to the game,” Griffey Jr. told The Sporting News in 2022. “We’re actually gonna go to the game, [with] LeBron being a Nike guy. I’m a Nike guy. I’m gonna make sure I’m there at that game. And I think it’s important that we’re all there in celebrating somebody else’s success.”
Speaking of Nike, the shoe and apparel behemoth previewed a new commercial starring Bron and Bronny James where the father pranks his son. LBJ has posted the clip for his 160 million Instagram followers.
