NBA insiders Shams Charania and Brian Windhorst revealed when the Los Angeles Lakers plan to play guard Bronny James alongside his father in the team’s season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
According to Charania, the Lakers are expected to play James early in the game, and that they “want to allow this to happen during the flow of the game in a competitive environment.”
“I’m told it’s very likely, and the Lakers plan that LeBron James, Bronny James make history as the first father-son duo to be on the court at the same time, and likely to come early in the game as long as it’s competitive and it’s a flowing game as far as where the Lakers are at early on in that game,” Charania said. “I think that’s going to be very important. The Lakers want to allow this to happen during the flow of the game in a competitive environment.”
Windhorst provided a more exact timetable for the father-son duo to be on the floor, implying that it will happen at the beginning of the second quarter.
Brian Windhorst hints that Bronny James could play in the 2nd quarter tonight
"I would expect, as long as the game is going okay, be in your seat at the start of the 2nd quarter." 👀
(h/t @ClutchPoints ) pic.twitter.com/AK1iH7rU93
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 22, 2024
A second-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, the younger James had the opportunity to play alongside his father in the preseason, something that the elder James clearly appreciated.
“Not real,” the elder James said of his reaction to the moment. “Kind of a little bit used to it but it’s pretty cool. It’s pretty cool for both of us and especially for my family. … It’s definitely a moment that I will never forget and it’s pretty cool.”
The Lakers clearly want to give the father-son duo a chance to share the floor, as it will be a historic moment in NBA history.
The elder James, one of the greatest players of all time, has certainly earned this moment. He’s a four-time champion, four-time league MVP, 20-time All-Star and a future Hall of Famer. It certainly will be an amazing moment for him to share the floor with his son.
Even though elder James will turn 40 years old during the 2024-25 season, he showed last season that he’s still one of the best players in the league. He averaged 25.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game while shooting 54.0 percent from the field and 41.0 percent from deep in the process.
While the younger James likely won’t have a big role with the Lakers the entire season, Los Angeles is hoping he can develop into a rotation player while under contract with the franchise.
During the 2023-24 season at the University of Southern California, the younger James averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 36.6 percent from the field and 26.7 percent from beyond the arc. He scored in double figures on three different occasions for the Trojans in his freshman season.
The Lakers and Timberwolves are scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. PST on Tuesday night from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
