Lakers’ LeBron James gets emotional after Bronny James reality sinks in

LeBron James is still can’t believe it.

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has achieved a lot during his incredible basketball career, but he could not have been prouder than the moment he learned that his eldest son, Bronny James, finally joined him in the NBA.

The Lakers used a second-round pick at the 2024 NBA Draft to get Bronny, who spent just one season in college with the USC Trojans. On Sunday night, James got emotional while thinking of Bronny successfully realizing an NBA dream — the same goal his father achieved over two decades ago.

“With the 55th in the 2024 NBA draft. The Los Angeles Lakers select……. Bronny James. 🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲. Just had a moment!” the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player posted on X (the social media app formerly known as Twitter).

LeBron James-Bronny James Lakers duo is now a reality

Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
Regardless of where one stands about Bronny’s ascension to the NBA, of whether it was more because of his father’s influence than his actual potential to become a good player in the pros, it’s easy to see why LeBron is incredibly happy about it. It’s one thing to see one’s son make it to the NBA. For LeBron, he is simply on another level of happiness as he also gets the chance to play alongside Bronny. It hasn’t happened before in the NBA, and it’s about to happen as soon as the 2024-25 NBA season. The idea of LeBron and Bronny playing for the same team and on the same night will keep basketball fans intrigued leading into the upcoming campaign.

After the Lakers took Tennessee Volunteers star Dalton Knecht in the first round, many wondered whether Los Angeles could actually take Bronny. That moment came late in the second round, with the Lakers sending shockwaves across the basketball realm by taking Bronny. It wasn’t something that was greatly unexpected, but it was still a surreal moment, especially since no father-son combo in the NBA has ever concurrently played in the history of the league.

That LeBron managed to see his son get drafted in the NBA while he’s still actively a player in the league also speaks volumes about the future Basketball Hall of Famer’s legendary longevity. Bronny is only 19 years and and will turn 20 in October, which means LeBron has been in the NBA longer than Bronny has been alive. Bronny was born on Oct. 6, 2004 — a little over a year before the start of the 2004 NBA season which was also the second of LeBron in the pros.

The NBA has yet to release game schedules for the 2024-25 season but expect the Lakers’ season-opener to generate a ton of attention, as it could be where LeBron and Bronny share the floor for the first time as professionals.

Getting into the NBA is just one step in the basketball journey of Bronny, and he’s lucky that his father will be right there with him as a player on the bench, in practices, and in the locker room to guide and teach him the ropes. That’s a specific type of luxury no other player in the NBA, past or present, has ever enjoyed.

Bronny will now look to prove that he truly belongs in the NBA. In the 2023-24 college basketball season, Bronny averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 0.8 steals across 25 games (including a total of six starts) for the Trojans, who went 15-18 overall and 8-12 in the Pac-12.