Lakers newsletter: Bronny James makes a dream come true

CLEVELAND— Hello everyone and welcome to a special edition of the Times' Lakers newsletter, where the Lakers were just destroyed by the Cleveland Cavaliers on a bad night for anyone not named Bronny James.

But first, a note about the Dodgers. The World Series definitely got its fair share of attention in the Lakers' locker room. Jarred Vanderbilt wore a black Dodgers cap. After the game, Austin Reaves had Game 5 on his phone. LeBron James' media session was postponed to watch the New York Yankees bat with the bases loaded in the top of the sixth.

Anyway, on to the most exciting baseline jumper in a 22-point loss in league history.

Bronny meets the moment

The double cheeseburger and the onion rings. That's what made Bronny smile Wednesday morning. It was his favorite order from Swensons, the burger joint in Akron, Ohio, that his family always visits when they're back in town.

The James family favorite sat in sacks in the Lakers' locker room Wednesday night in Cleveland, but Bronny didn't take anything with him as he left the arena. The stuff in his pocket was much more valuable.

Bronny left the Rocket Mortgage Arena court with his jersey and net. The cue ball wasn't far behind.

Here in Cleveland, Bronny and the children of other Cavaliers players would sneak up to the top floor of the arena to throw punches while their fathers played on the court below.

Here, Bronny dreamed of becoming an NBA player, a dream he had pursued since he first touched a basketball.

And it was almost cinematic here, in the final minutes of a loss as his father's teammate, when Bronny made his first basket as a pro and walked away with the memorabilia as proof.

He entered the game with the sellout crowd chanting his name and begging him to shoot every time he touched the ball. But Bronny didn't flinch, as he had been ever since he was drawn into this wild situation.

“I feel like he's better than I would have been in that situation, 20,000 fans screaming my name to get in the game and wanting me to get involved and if the role was reversed, I don't know , would I do that “We did it,” LeBron said after the game, Bronny to his right. “Just recommend him for his composure and the way he approaches not only the game but life in general. And to see him get his first NBA basket in this arena where he grew up not far from here is an incredible moment. First of all, an incredible moment for him. For our family. It’s just pretty cool to be a part of it.”

As always, Bronny was more reserved about a historic moment. In the season opener, he and LeBron became the first father and son to play in an NBA game together. On Wednesday, father and son scored for the first time on the same night.

“I’ve been watching this guy play in the league for a minute,” Bronny said of his father. “I just dream that I follow in the footsteps of these players, not just his but also the players he used to play against and with. So yeah, it was just a dream come true for me. Felt really good. In hindsight, I was still in game mode when I hit the shot, so I didn't really notice it while playing. But yeah, it felt good after that.”

As James stood in the hallway waiting to meet his friends and family, he looked proudly at his jersey and the net from the field. He had accomplished something, something that was, in the grand scheme of things, pretty incredible.

He did something he had planned to do years before, in one of the places where this very dream had germinated.

Song of the week

“Dreams” by The Cranberries

There's a lot of room for skepticism when it comes to Bronny, the Lakers and whether or not he belongs. On a night when there was nothing good to say about the team's play, when Bronny walked onto the field and, with the crowd chanting his name, fired his only shot – that counts as a real moment.

“You always remember your first basket, but for him to make it here, I know it means a lot to him. I know he has the basketball,” Anthony Davis said. “And a special memory for him. Of course it's a shame that we didn't win. But I know he will remember it. Most guys' first basket is probably a little foggy. But I think it’s something he’ll remember very vividly.”

Even his teammates thought it was cool to see a dream come true.

In case you missed it

LeBron and Bronny James experience a bitter home game in Ohio during the Lakers' significant loss to the Cavs

The Lakers' two-way player, Christian Koloko, gave the go-ahead to play

JJ Redick takes the blame as the Lakers lose for the first time this season

LeBron James continues to impress Lakers coach JJ Redick with his “crazy” performances

Dominant Anthony Davis helps the Lakers erase their 22-point deficit and defeat the Suns