NBA: LeBron and son Bronny James play together for the first time

PALM DESERT, Calif. (AP) — LeBron James and his son Bronny made NBA history Sunday night when they played together for the first time during the Los Angeles Lakers' preseason game against Phoenix.

LeBron and Bronny are the first father and son to play in an NBA game at the same time, let alone on the same team. The James family's remarkable moment happened to happen on Bronny's 20th birthday.

Bronny James came on as a substitute at the start of the second quarter and joined his father on the court after the timeout. The crowd at Acrisure Arena in Coachella Valley cheered at the mention of Bronny's name.

LeBron James is entering his record-breaking 22nd season in the NBA, while LeBron James Jr. – known to everyone as Bronny – was the Lakers' second-round draft pick this summer. After recovering from Cardiac arrest over a year agoBronny played just one season in Southern California before entering the draft and joining the Lakers.

Things didn't immediately go smoothly for the James family: Bronny had two turnovers and LeBron another in their first two minutes together. Shortly after LeBron shot a 3-pointer moments later, LeBron got the ball to Bronny and set up his son's 3-point attempt, but Bronny missed.

Bronny came off the bench 4:09 into the second quarter, and LeBron came off the court 25 seconds later on the next dead ball.

Even though LeBron turns 40 at the end of December, the leading scorer in NBA history shows no signs of slowing down with age. He's talked for years about his longtime dream of playing with one of his sons in the NBA, and the Lakers made it a reality when they secured Bronny with the 55th pick in the draft.

The 6-foot-2 Bronny is expected to spend much of the upcoming season working on his game with the G League's South Bay Lakers, but he will almost certainly appear in a real game alongside his 1 .80 meter tall father can play early in the regular season.

Head coach JJ Redick said the Lakers have already discussed the logistics of the next historic moment, but he hasn't predicted when it will happen.

LeBron missed the Lakers' preseason opener against Minnesota last Friday night, resting after a full week of training camp following a busy summer. Bronny had two points on 1-for-6 shooting and three blocked shots during the 16-minute game against the Timberwolves.

The Lakers have four more preseason games — all outside of Los Angeles while their home arena undergoes renovations — before starting the regular season at home against Minnesota on Oct. 22.

LeBron was entering his second NBA season with the Cleveland Cavaliers when he and his high school sweetheart, Savannah Brinson, became parents for the first time in 2004. They had two more children – son Bryce and daughter Zhuri.

LeBron and Bronny have been preparing for the chance to play together since LeBron returned from summer vacation after winning a gold medal with the US team at the Paris Olympics. Anthony Davis also made his preseason debut against the Suns after a similarly busy summer.

The father and son repeatedly battled together during workouts at the Lakers' training complex, both as teammates and opponents. Redick said they even ran pick-and-rolls together in preparation.

In the regular season, they join a short list of fathers and sons who have shared the playing field in North American professional sports. Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. played together with the Seattle Mariners during parts of the 1990 and 1991 MLB seasons, while hockey great Gordie Howe played with his sons Marty and Mark for the Houston Aeros of the WHA and the Hartford Whalers of the NHL .

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