Congratulations are in order for 19-year-old Bronny James! The eldest son of basketball great LeBron James has just made history with his father by becoming the first father-son duo to play in the NBA. Bronny will join his father on the court as the newest Los Angeles Lakers player.
And, as you would imagine, from the head office and beyond, everyone on the the Los Angeles Lakers team is extremely happy that Bronny is now a part of their family.
Los Angeles Lakers GM Rob Pelinka said in a statement that, “[Bronny] is a person of high character and someone who works incredibly hard,” said Pelinka. “He has the quality we look for in drafting players and adding to our development (program).”
The moment it happened. 👀
— NBA (@NBA) June 27, 2024
(via _justbryce/IG)
Welcome to the NBA, Bronny! https://t.co/28UhUMraDC pic.twitter.com/r9ctebleOG
Although LeBron did dream of playing side-by-side with his son, that wasn’t always something that was on Bronny’s radar.
About a month ago, Michael Scotto, Senior NBA Insider, Host of The HoopsHype Podcast, and writer for USA TODAY Sports, asked Bronny an interview about playing basketball with his father.
“I asked Bronny James if it’s his dream to play with his dad, LeBron James,” Scotto said.
He replied, “No, never. My dream has always just been to put my name out, make a name for myself, and get to the NBA, which is everyone’s end goal that’s here. I never thought about just playing with my dad, but of course he’s brought it up a couple of times. But yeah, I don’t think about it much.”
Back in July of 2023, the young athlete collapsed during practice with his freshman team at the University of Southern California. Bronny suffered a cardiac arrest.
Doctors deduced that Bronny’s health issues were caused by a congenital heart defect. After rehab and being under medical care, almost five months into his first season as a college student, Bronny made his USC basketball debut.
Congratulations, Bronny!
Photo: Bronny James Instagram; NBA Twitter; LeBron James Instagram/Blecher Report
