LeBron James has had 229 teammates in his career, per Basketball Reference. Now in his 22nd NBA season and the seventh with the Los Angeles Lakers, James is experiencing another first for himself and the NBA with his new teammate.
James and son Bronny James are the first father-son duo in league history.
The former has found himself taken aback by the situation unfolding in real-time. It is something that he is not used to.
“It’s definitely different in the sense of just Bronny being a part of the team now,” James told Mike Golic on the “GoJo and Golic” podcast on September 20. “I’m looking at you two guys right now, I think it’s one of the greatest things in the world to be able to work with your kid.
“This week we got back into the gym, and it was really the first time that me and Bronny was basically on the floor as professionals training, going against each other, preparing for the season. And it was I had a couple moments where I kind of just – I lost focus. And I’m not used to losing focus when I’m out on the floor. But I was a couple times I was just looking to the side and just watching him, and watching him prepare, and watching him go after it. And it was just – it’s going to be an unbelievable year for myself, and I hope for him as well.”
James was vocal about his desire to play with his eldest son during an interview with ESPN’s Dave McMenamin in January 2023.
He also hinted at playing with younger son, Bryce, in an ad for Beats By Dre.
James walked his comments back in another interview with McMenamin in May.
Bronny James the Center of Attention During Offseason
A health scare became a lasting memory of Bronny James’ lone season at USC. He went into cardiac arrest during a practice in July 2023. He underwent surgery to address a congenital heart defect and was cleared in November, per ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk.
James also posted an underwhelming stat line with the Trojans. Reactions to the Lakers making him the No. 55 overall pick of the 2024 draft were polarized.
James averaged 8.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.0 assists during NBA 2k25 Summer League.
That the younger James was such a talking point speaks volumes. In addition to LeBron James’ decision to stay, the Lakers also hired his former podcast partner J.J. Reddick as their head coach and drafted one the best shooters in the 2024 class in Dalton Knecht in the first round.
However, calls about Bronny James’ path already being paved may prove overblown. The Lakers have a different plan for the undersized – 6-foot-2 – shooting guard.
“Though Bronny James had an impressive end to summer league, at least by his modest expectations, the Lakers plan on using him primarily in the G League as he remains far from a rotation-caliber player,” The Athletic’s Jovan Buha wrote in August while projecting the 15-man roster for the regular season.
Bronny James Predicted to Play in Lakers’ Regular-Season Opener
The Lakers’ first regular season game is on October 22 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The G League season begins on November 8. LA will have played eight games before then, leaving plenty of time for the duo to play together early.
ESPN’s Zach Lowe predicted it would be a short wait before it happens. He adds that it could be about sentiment as much as anything else.
“He is 100% playing in the opening game so that they can have a moment together, right?” Lowe said on “The Bill Simmons Podcast” on September 18. “That is going to happen, so they pass to each other or whatever it ends up being.”
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