The James family shared a tender moment after making league history Tuesday night.
Bronny and father LeBron each had a sweet moment with Savannah — Bronny’s mother and LeBron’s wife — after the two became the first father-son duo to share the court in an NBA regular-season game, a Lakers win.
The younger James, 20, greeted his mother with a hug inside the bowels of Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles following the 110-103 victory over the Timberwolves, while LeBron gave his wife a kiss after scoring 16 points in 35 minutes, as posted to social media by reporter Lauren Jones.
“I would,” LeBron, 39, said seemingly in reference to a hug, “but I’m a little bit more sweaty.”
The James family will never forget Tuesday night after Bronny and LeBron shared the court for three minutes during the second quarter.
Savannah and her two other children, son Bryce and daughter Zhuri, supported the two from the stands.
LeBron had wanted to play with his son before he retired, and Bronny made his NBA debut with four minutes left in the second quarter and the Lakers leading, 51-35.
TNT captured the elder James telling his son, “You see the intensity, right?” before Bronny eventually made his debut.
“Just play carefree, though,” LeBron said. “Don’t worry about mistakes, just go out and play hard.”
Bronny’s first career basket will have to wait after he missed both of his shots during his limited stint, including a 3-pointer, and he contributed one offensive rebound.
LeBron will never forget playing alongside his son for the first time.
“Obviously that moment, us being at the scorer’s table together and checking in together, it’s something I will never forget,” the four-time NBA champion said. “No matter how old I get, no matter how my memory may fade as I get older or whatever, I will never forget that moment.”
That moment also resonated with Bronny.
“Just going up to that scorer’s table with my dad, checking in for the first time, that’s a crazy moment I will never forget,” the second-round pick said. “I’m just extremely grateful for everything. I was given an amazing opportunity to come in this league and get better every day and learn every day.”
While LeBron has accomplished many legendary feats in his career, there’s just something special about having a moment that no one else in league history has been able to enjoy.
“It’s family. It’s always been family over everything and, for me, I lost a lot of time because of this league, commitment to this league, being on the road at times, missing a lot of his things, Bryce’s things, Zhuri’s things,” James said. “To be able to have this moment where I’m working still and I can work alongside my son is one of the greatest gifts I’ve gotten from the man above and I’m going to take full advantage of it.”
The Lakers selected Bronny No. 55 overall in this summer’s NBA draft.
The Suns visit the Lakers on Friday night.