LeBron James and Son Bronny Make NBA History by Playing Together for First Time in Preseason Game

LeBron James and his son have achieved something truly special together and made NBA history in the process!

On Sunday, Oct. 6, LeBron, 39, and Bronny, 20, both played for the Los Angeles Lakers as they faced off against the Phoenix Suns in a preseason game at the Acrisure Arena. The matchup marked the first time a father and son has ever played together in any NBA game, but it was an important milestone for another reason, too — it was Bronny’s 20th birthday.

According to NBC News, the younger James joined his father on the court during the second quarter of the game, coming on as a substitute. They played together for around four minutes, per ABC News.

The matchup — which saw the Lakers narrowly defeated by the Suns, with a final score of 114-118 —  marked LeBron’s record-tying 22nd season in the NBA, while his son joined the Lakers during the second NBA draft in June, signing a four-year contract with the team. He had previously played one shortened season at the University of Southern California.

During their time together on the court, the father and son worked as a team to try and get points on the board for the Lakers, with forward LeBron getting the ball to his guard son and then setting a screen so Bronny could take a 3-point shot that he ultimately missed, per ABC News.

A post shared on X (formerly Twitter) by the NBA captured some of the history-making moment, showing LeBron in his 23 jersey standing next to his son wearing number 9 on the court during the game.

“LeBron James. Bronny James. The father-son duo share the court for the first time together! 👏,” the NBA captioned the footage.

According to the Associated Press, Lakers coach JJ Redick had informed Bronny about his appearance playing with his father ahead of the game. The AP also reported that Redick had said prior to the matchup that the father-son duo’s appearance on the court together would not be “gimmicky,” explaining that it would occur naturally, “in the flow of the game.”

Bronny is the oldest of three children LeBron shares with his wife, Savannah James, and the Oct. 6 game allowed the father to realize a long-held wish to play with his son. In May 2023, he was asked about retirement, when he shared that his goal was still to be on the court with Bronny.

“I need to be on the floor with my boy, I got to be on the floor with Bronny,” he said at the time. “Either in the same uniform or a matchup against him.”

After taking to the court alongside Bronny, he said, per ABC News, that it was, “definitely a moment that I will never forget.”

“It’s pretty cool for the both of us, and especially for our family,” the NBA legend said. “For a father, it means everything.”

“For someone who didn’t have that growing up, to be able to have that influence on your kids and have that influence on your son, be able to have moments with your son — and the ultimate, to be able to work with your son — that’s one of the greatest things that a father could ever hope for or wish for,” he continued.

“WOW THAT WAS SURREAL!! 🥺🥺🥺🙌🏾🙌🏾,” LeBron added in a post on X later the same night, while Bronny also shared a series of posts featuring photos and footage from the game, including one of himself and his father on the court, which he caption, “History.”

Ahead of the game, LeBron had spoken to reporters at the Lakers media day on Oct. 1 about how “amazing” it would be to have “opportunities” to play alongside Bronny, though he was being patient about when that might occur.

“If we get a couple of opportunities on the floor throughout the course of the season, obviously that’s going to be amazing,” LeBron said at the time, per the Associated Press. “It will be awesome. We’ll wait for that moment when it happens, and then go from there.”

“There’s a lot of excitement,” he also said. “It’s pure joy, to be honest, to be able to come to work every day, put in the hard work with your son every day and be able to see him continue to grow. We push each other. He pushes me, I push him. We push our teammates. Just a very joyous moment, not only for myself, but for our family.”