NBA history: LeBron James and Bronny check in together for their 1st pro game as father-son duo and fans can't keep calm

Earlier this year, LeBron James and Bronny James made NBA history when it was announced that they would soon become the first father-son duo to play in the professional league. The news followed after the Los Angeles Lakers selected the rookie player in the second round of the NBA draft with the No. 55 pick in June.

On October 22 (US time), the Lakers duo officially checked into their first game together with four minutes left in the second quarter, as reported by NBA.com. The history-making debut instantly prompted deafening applause and frenzy from the home crowd awaiting the milestone to manifest in the flesh. 20-year-old Bronny took the floor and joined his 39-year-old father who had already kicked off his initial 13 minutes into the game before his son.

Also read | Texas teen hero saves 2-year-old sister from mobile home fire: ‘I knew I couldn’t forgive myself if I…'

Nike ad featuring LeBron and Bronny rolls out ahead of the game

Hours before the NBA power duo stepped into sports action on the court, ‘King James’ shared a hilarious clip on his X/Twitter profile, in which the father appeared to be pranking the rookie in a Nike ad.

The video captures the legendary NBA great filling up Bronny's car with cereal as he runs off the scene seeing his son come out. As soon as the 20-year-old player unlocks his car door, his stacked car unleashes cereal onto the driveway. While Bronny is left with a mess as a consequence of his dad's prank, LeBron demands him to clean it up and rolls out with a cheeky expression plastered on his face, but not before pulling his son’s leg. “Hey rook, you better not be late,” LeBron calls out.

Fans were quick to comment under the hilarious post, with many describing the antic as “LeHazing.”

Also read | John Wick anime film confirmed: Prequel storyline to Keanu Reeves' retired assassin's life will finally answer why…

Another video from game night shows another heartfelt moment between the duo as their mic’d conversations reveal LeBron asking “You ready” moments while still seated on the bench, getting ready to step into action. Another moment captured by the TNT broadcast showed the BBall dad sharing some advice with his boy.

“You see the intensity, right?” LeBron asked Bronny who responded in affirmative. “Just play carefree, though,” the NBA great continued. "Don’t worry about mistakes, just go out and play hard.”

Reactions to LeBron James and Bronny James playing together

Although there were numerous comments citing “nepotism” as an issue, most fans didn’t forget to cherish the one-of-a-kind moment in the history of the sports league. “Such a cool moment for both of them they’ll remember this for the rest of their lives,” a sentimental user wrote. Someone else commented, “You’re actually a weirdo that hates your life if you hate on this. this is awesome.”
More comments like “I’m not even the biggest Bron fan but tonight was a serious part of NBA History” and “As a laker fan this so cool to watch lol, hope we bring him along at his own pace so he can find his groove” poured in to support the duo.

However, there was no stopping criticism, as has been the case since the initial days of Bronny's Lakers draft with netizens launching scathing attacks at the NBA rookie, accusing him of landing a spot on the roster thanks to his father's influence. Today was no game-changer on that front as a Redditor joked about "Take your son to work day tonight" and more chimed in about “LePotism.”

Back on X, a parody account @TheNBACentel, renowned for causing chaos and lighting the fuse of massive confusion wrote, “Bronny sitting out in the 2nd half after accidentally calling LeBron ‘daddy’ while asking for a screen,” citing senior NBA insider Chris Haynes' name even though the post was clearly made for driving traffic during an already buzzworthy moment.

Meanwhile, the Lakers Nation news source platform gave a shoutout to the James duo. However, that post, too, like witnessed netizens roasting the moment, as many labelled it a “manufactured” one to attract “likes."

NBA father-son duo meets MLB father-son duo

The dream team was cheered on by the fellow history-cracking first father-son duo to achieve the same milestone in 1990 Major League Baseball: Seattle Mariners' Ken Griffey Sr and Ken Griffey Jr. They were seated courtside at the Crypto.com Arena in California for the Lakers season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Both father-son pairs crossed paths during pregame warmups and their shared clicks instantly broke the internet.

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.