LOS ANGELES -- Two Brooklyn Nets defenders were draped over LeBron James in the second quarter of Friday's game, but his subsequent pass out of the double team resulted in the James family name being recorded in the official play-by-play twice for the same action: B. James 26' 3PT Jump Shot (L. James)
LeBron's feed from the top of the key found an open Bronny James on the left wing. When his shot snapped the net, the Los Angeles Lakers teammates made history with the first father-son assist the NBA has ever seen.
"It was a special moment with us two and a lot more to come down the road," said Bronny, whose bucket cut the Nets' lead from five down to two in L.A.'s eventual 116-99 win.
BRONNY ➡️ LEBRON ➡️ BRONNY THE FIRST FATHER-SON ASSIST IN NBA HISTORY! pic.twitter.com/qWGcYLayLi
His dad was particularly proud to see his 21-year-old son starting to get some playing time for the Lakers after being selected with the No. 55 pick in the 2024 draft, following his freshman season at USC that was disrupted by suffering a cardiac arrest during a summer workout.
"Just not take it for granted being in a moment of us being on the floor once again, that's two games back-to-back, playing meaningful minutes," LeBron said, referring to Bronny's 13 minutes in a win over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.
"I just always made the right play. I got doubled and he was able to fake the pass to the corner and then knock down the 3. So, definitely a cool moment for us and also for the family."
Bronny is shooting 40% on 3-pointers in his second NBA season and even better in the G League, where he has shot 41.7% for the South Bay Lakers.
"I've gotten more and more reps being comfortable shooting behind the NBA line," Bronny said. "Gotten more and more comfortable for me to just shoot it without thinking. Nothing much to it, but just getting reps in and keeping at it and keeping working on my game."
LeBron said he has started to see a return of the confidence that made his son a standout in high school and AAU basketball nearly three years after that summer workout at USC sent him to the hospital.
"It's just getting back to where it was before the incident," LeBron said. "He's always been able to shoot the ball. He shot the ball at a high level pretty much throughout his years of playing ball. So, I just think there's confidence in the rhythm and just getting the strength back and his wind and everything. Everything is just coming back."
Everything's returning to place for Bronny, including the confidence to trash-talk with his dad.
While Bronny shared his joy in playing with LeBron on Friday, he also revealed what happened when he last played against him.
"Last time I played him one-on-one -- I don't know if this story has come out -- he broke a backboard at our house in Miami," Bronny said.
Austin Reaves, who was at the locker next to Bronny when he shared the story, interjected.
"Yeah!" Reaves excitedly expressed. "You can say that. Don't leave that out!"
Ultimately, beyond fulfilling the family storyline, Bronny just doesn't want to be left out of the Lakers' rotation.
"He's always ready to play," Lakers coach JJ Redick said. "[He] hit a big 3 when things were getting a little wayward there in the second quarter with some turnovers. And you know ... I'm really happy with where he's at, and very confident where he's going to be as a player."
Bronny is starting to sound like he shares that confidence, too.
"I've been wanting to play basketball my whole life, so I knew that was going to be my job at some point," Bronny said. "It's a dream come true. I'm so privileged to be able to play basketball for a job and I love every single second of it. My teammates embrace it. I'm best friends with all my teammates and my coaches. I'm just happy to be here."
