BEFORE they become the first father-son duo to play together in the NBA, LeBron James and Bronny James got their close-up Monday (Tuesday in Manila) at the Los Angeles Lakers media day.
The James’s were at the center of the show at the preseason event a few weeks before the start of the 2024-25 season. LeBron James made it clear years ago that he wanted to play alongside his son before his NBA career was over; now that he’s teammates with his 19-year-old son, he was asked to reflect on his emotions about the arrangement.
“Just pure joy, man,” he said. “I don’t have any words. I can speak about me. You guys ask me questions about me. When it comes to him, I’m just at a loss for words.
“Just super proud. Super proud of him to get to this point. He’s a man. He’s ready to go.”
The Lakers selected Bronny James, a guard who spent last year at Southern California, with the 55th overall pick in June’s NBA draft.
“This is a crazy feeling,” Bronny James said. “Just looking over at my dad taking pictures, it was like, ‘What’s going on right now?’ (That was) literally my thoughts. Just kind of take it all in. Extremely grateful for the opportunity.”
The father and son spent part of the day posing for photos together and speaking with the press, typical media day activities.
Soon it will be time to get to work. The Lakers’ season opener is Oct. 22 against the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves.
New head coach JJ Redick did not divulge details about how the team planned to get the James on the court together.
“We don’t have anything planned, per se, in terms of a commitment to do it this way,” Redick said. “We obviously have talked about it as a staff, and we’ve gotten into some specifics of what that might look like. But we haven’t committed to anything.”
Redick–a friend and onetime podcast partner of the elder James–is beginning his first head-coaching position of any kind. James, meanwhile, turns 40 in December and will be playing in his 22nd NBA season, tying Vince Carter for the most in league history.
“I feel really good physically,” James said. “Mentally, I feel really good. Really sharp. Very fresh. Looking forward to getting to work tomorrow. I have not thought about what the future holds. Kind of just living in the moment. Especially with Bronny being here, too. I don’t want to take this moment for granted.”
One thing is for sure: LeBron James doesn’t want his son calling him “Dad” when they’re at work together.
“I haven’t gotten there yet,” Bronny James said. “It’s probably gonna be, like, Bron. Bron would be the easiest.”
