LeBron, Bronny James to make NBA history in Lakers season opener
By Rebekah Ludman
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10/22/24 (LAPost.com) — LeBron James and his oldest son, Bronny James, are set to make NBA history by becoming the first active father-son duo Tuesday evening when the Lakers open their season against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Crypto.com Arena.
After Monday’s practice at the UCLA Health Training Center in El Segundo, Coach JJ Redick said no decision was made on if the two will play together during Tuesday’s game. Bronny said he has not been told whether or not he’ll play during the season opener.
Although this would be the first time a father-son duo have played together in a season game, LeBron and Bronny played together during a preseason game. They played together during the first 4 minutes, 9 seconds of the second quarter on Oct. 6 in a preseason game against the Phoenix Suns in Palm Desert.
During the Oct. 6 preseason game, Bronny missed his only shot, grabbed a rebound, and committed three turnovers. During the same game, LeBron made two shots, had two rebounds, and one turnover.
During six preseason games, Bronny averaged 4.2 points and scored 17 points in the finale against the Golden State Warriors on Friday.
Tuesday’s game is also Redick’s debut as the Lakers’ coach. His only coaching experience was with his son’s youth team.
“The newness part is exciting,” Redick said. “The familiar part is also exciting, because I really missed it over the last three years.”
Redick was hired in June to replace Darvin Ham, who was fired after his second season ended with a loss to the Denver Nuggets during the first round of playoffs. Redick played 15 seasons in the NBA and retired in 2021. Over the last three seasons, Redick was an NBA analyst for ESPN and a podcaster.
He’s the Lakers’ seventh permanent coach since the 2010-11 season when Phil Jackson retired. Redick is the fourth permanent coach since LeBron signed with the Lakers in 2018.
The Lakers’ roster consists of 14 players who were with the team last season, two drafted rookies — Bronny and Dalton Knecht — and two undrafted rookies — Quincy Olivari and Armel Traore – and one player who was signed during the offseason, Christian Koloko.
Bronny became eligible for the June NBA draft after he averaged 4.8 points per game during his season at USC. He played 490 minutes over 25 games with six starts for USC. Bronny missed the first eight games of his season with USC because he was recovering from a medical procedure to treat a congenital heart defect.
The Lakers is also set to celebrate the legacy of Jerry West, Hall of Fame player and executive, who died June 12 at 86-years-old during Tuesday’s game. In honor of West, the team will wear a commemorative No. 44 band on their left shoulder on their uniforms during the entirety of this season.
The game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. and will be televised by TNT.
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Rebekah Ludmanrebekah@lapost.com8182845620
