Bronny James makes NBA preseason debut, with LeBron watching from the bench

By Ben Church, CNN

(CNN) — LeBron James watched on from the bench as his son, Bronny James, played his first NBA preseason minutes for the LA Lakers on Friday

The 19-year-old played for 16 minutes in the Lakers’ 124-107 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves and showed glimpses of potential, finishing with two points.

He was introduced to the game in the second quarter where he played the first half, before playing most of the fourth.

After missing his first five shots, Bronny eventually made a layup with less than a minute left of the game, a shot greeted by loud cheers from the crowd at the Acrisure Arena.

While his shooting wasn’t as sharp as he would have wanted, the 6-foot-2 guard blocked three shots, picking up one rebound and one assist.

“He can do some things defensively at his size that are really unique, and I think can turn into a really disruptive defender,” Lakers coach JJ Redick told reporters when asked about Bronny’s performance.

“That manifested itself. On the offensive end, he’s still figuring out who he is. That’s our job as a player development program just to build him in.

“But truthfully, he’s so easy to coach. He’s got a great soul. And just a great energy about him. I like being around him. I’m rooting for him. He’s a good player that we’re happy to have in our program.”

Redick opted to rest LeBron against the Timberwolves, but the 39-year-old could be in contention to play the Phoenix Suns on Sunday – which happens to be Bronny’s 20th birthday too.

Bronny, whose jersey is emblazed with “James Jr.” across the back, was selected 55th overall by the Lakers in the 2024 NBA draft in June, joining his father at the franchise.

The pair is expected to become the first father-son to play together on an NBA team.

Speaking together during a Lakers media event earlier this week, Lebron described the moment as “pure joy.”

“When it comes to him (Bronny), I’m just at a loss for words. (I’m) just super proud of him to be able to get to this point,” LeBron said while his son sat next to him. “He’s a man, and he’s ready to go.

“It’s just so joyous to be able to see him grow and to know what he has been through over the last couple of years. And to just use that as motivation every single day and to get back and get to where he wanted to be.”

The-CNN-Wire
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