LeBron James and Bronny James have already made NBA history as father-and-son teammates with the Los Angeles Lakers. But the two had another special moment on Wednesday night in an away game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, with whom LeBron spent 11 seasons and won a championship.
The Cavaliers rolled over the Lakers 134-110 in a blowout matchup at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Wednesday, which kept the Cavaliers undefeated on the season. Bronny entered the game in the fourth quarter when the contest was well out of reach for the Lakers, though fans in Cleveland made it more than clear they wanted him to check in ahead of time.
He took the court with about five minutes left in the fourth quarter, and did so to a loud ovation. It marked his second appearance in an NBA game in his career.
LeBron was already out of the game at that point. He finished the night with 26 points and six rebounds after shooting 9-of-13 from the field. Bronny scored the first points of his career, too, when he hit a stepback jumper from the short corner just a few minutes after entering the game.
He finished with two points, two assists and a steal in his five minutes on the court. Bronny shot 1-of-2 from the field, and missed a 3-point attempt down the stretch.
Though the two weren’t on the floor at the same time, the Cavaliers found a way to honor both of the James’ before the game.
Bronny is set to begin playing with the G League following a five-game road trip with the Lakers, which concludes next week. But he and LeBron had to do something first: come home.
Cleveland has always been home for the James family, with LeBron starting his career there after growing up in nearby Akron. Bronny, the eldest of LeBron and wife Savannah’s three children, was born in Akron in 2004, just before LeBron’s second year with the Cavaliers.
LeBron James spent 11 years in Cleveland over two stints, racking up awards and honors during both stretches. During the first stint, LeBron took home NBA Rookie of the Year and two NBA MVP awards; when he returned to Northern Ohio in 2014, he led the Cavaliers to the NBA Championship in 2016.
After Bronny was selected by the Lakers with the 55th overall pick in the NBA Draft in June, the two became the first father-son duo to play together in NBA history during the Lakers’ season opener last week. LeBron and Bronny shared the court for a total of three minutes in the second quarter of the 110-103 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Jameses are only the fourth father-son duo to play together in American pro sports; one of those pairs, Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr., attended Los Angeles’ first game to watch history in the making.
The Cavaliers were ahead nearly the entire way on Wednesday night, and out-scored the Lakers by 19 points in the opening quarter to build up their lead. Evan Mobley led the way with 25 points, and Donovan Mitchell finished with 24 points and seven assists. Jarrett Allen added 20 points and 17 rebounds, too. Cleveland is 5-0 to start the season for the first time since 2016.
Anthony Davis added 22 points and 13 rebounds for the Lakers in the loss, which moved them to 3-2 on the year. Rookie Dalton Knecht finished with 18 points off the bench. The Lakers have three games left on their road trip, starting with a matchup with the Toronto Raptors on Friday night.