Tuesday represented a big night for the Los Angeles Lakers. They won their first Opening Night game since 2016 by defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves behind a monster game from Anthony Davis and an incredible debut from head coach JJ Redick. The cherry on top of the victory was the historic debut of rookie Bronny James alongside his father, LeBron James.
It was the first time in NBA history that a father and son have shared the court together, and the rumors that it would happen on Opening Night had been circulating for some time. It’s well known that Bronny will not be a regular part of the rotation this season, but he got his debut out of the way and can look to the future now.
The Lakers rookie spoke about whether or not he got the chance to take in the moment and what he enjoyed about making his NBA debut.
“Yeah, I’d say so,” Bronny said, “I mean, try not to focus on everything that’s going on around me, and I’m trying to focus on going in as a rookie and not trying to mess up. But yeah, I mean, I totally did feel the energy, and I appreciate the Laker nation for showing the support for me and for my dad.”
Turning his focus to the game itself, Bronny thinks his debut went well and he was glad he was able to get his feet wet with three minutes of action.
“I felt pretty good, a little anxious going into like you said that first, that first game stepping on the court, it’s a little nerve wracking. But once I stepped on the court, got up and down a couple times, it all went away. Yeah, I felt pretty good. Yeah.”
The Lakers won’t be turning to Bronny much over the course of his rookie season. He’s likely to spend some time in the G League while he develops some parts of his game. But he can already say he’s had his NBA debut and has a sense of what game speed is like at the highest level.
And he’ll forever have the historic moment of sharing a court with his dad.
NBA world reacts to Bronny James and LeBron James playing together
The two soaked in the moment before play resumed, sharing the floor together for a couple of minutes before head coach JJ Redick subbed Bronny out near the end of the half.
Even though the pair played together in the preseason, it was a different sight to see them in front of the home crowd in a game that mattered toward their record. As soon as the two checked into the game, social media was abuzz and even had NBA stars like Ja Morant and Trae Young react.
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