By Remilekun Awokoya
LeBron James and son Bronny James officially became the first father-and-son duo to play as teammates in an NBA game on Sunday night during a Lakers preseason game against Phoenix.
Bronny, who turned 20 on Sunday, came into the game to start the second quarter to mark the milestone moment.
The James duo started the frame by both defending in the near court while the Suns inbounded the ball side by side.
LeBron finished with a game-high 19 points, while Bronny was held scoreless.
‘WOW THAT WAS SURREAL!!’ James posted on X after the game with teary-eyed and praying emojis.
Bronny entered the NBA draft after only one season in college basketball with the USC Trojans. The younger James was chosen with the No 55 overall selection in the NBA Draft to become the first active father-son duo on the same NBA roster.
Bronny’s selection was viewed as a heavy case of NBA nepotism, as his college statistics were worse than some players that were not selected in the draft.
Yet, that didn’t prevent him from cashing in as he heads to the pros, as Bronny inked a huge contract with the Lakers worthy of a first-round pick.
Bronny has agreed to a four-year, $7.9million deal with a team option of the fourth year.
Bronny’s contract is the second-largest ever for a second-round draft pick, with last year’s No 34 overall pick, Sacramento’s Colby Jones, signing an $8.8million deal.
The Lakers other NBA Draft selection from this year, former Tennessee star Dalton Knecht, signed a four-year, $18.4million contract after being picked at No 17 overall.
LeBron had long expressed a desire to play with Bronny in the NBA, with that dream turning into a reality.
The 19-year-old James only averaged 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per game during his freshman season at USC.
Redick has never been an NBA coach before and now is at the helm of one of the most popular sports franchises in America.
Bronny playing in the NBA a year ago seemed like an impossible task after he suffered a cardiac arrest in July during a Trojans practice and was hospitalized for three days.