One major storyline to follow for the Los Angeles Lakers this season will be Bronny and LeBron James making history as the first father-son duo to share the court together in the NBA.
LeBron is heading into his 22nd season while Bronny begins his first after being drafted by the Lakers in the second round. This is a dream that LeBron has been talking about for a while now and even though the draft pick of Bronny was met with a lot of criticism, that dream will come to fruition at some point this season.
When exactly they will share the court together remains to be seen, however. Considering Bronny needs to develop his game after barely playing in his lone season at USC, the expectation is for him to spend a majority of his rookie season in the G League.
While Bronny won’t be part of the Lakers’ rotation though, there’s no doubt that JJ Redick will get him in some games to get his feet wet and share the floor with his dad. In fact, ESPN’s Zach Lowe reported on the Bill Simmons Podcast that Bronny will get on the floor with LeBron on Opening Night to get it out of the way:
“He’s 100% playing in the opening game so they can have a moment together,” Lowe said. “That’s going to happen, so they pass to each other or whatever it ends up being.”
It makes sense that Redick and the Lakers would want Bronny and LeBron to share the floor together early so it doesn’t become a lingering storyline and distraction throughout the season.
The Lakers are set to host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Opening Night on Oct. 22. Given that is a tough opponent though, Bronny probably won’t find himself in the game unless it is a blowout one way or the other.
Regardless, it does seem that Redick will get Bronny in a game in the first blowout opportunity he gets, which will be an incredible moment for the James family and all Lakers fans.
Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal rooting for Bronny James
Even though Bronny and LeBron James have been the subjects of a lot of criticism, one person who is rooting for them is Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal.
He knows what they are going through as his son Shareef dealt with his own heart problem and tried to make the NBA, so he can relate to the James family and all of the nepotism claims that have been thrown their way.
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