LeBron James’ son Bronny James took the court in his first career start for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Ahead of the Lakers game against the Portland Trail Blazers, The Athletic’s Jovan Buha reported via X on Sunday, April 13, that the starters were Bronny, 20, Shake Milton, Dalton Knecht, Markieff Morris and Alex Len.
The Lakers, who are playoff bound, played without LeBron, 40, and Luka Dončić, who were both suffering from injuries with a strain to the left groin and soreness in the left quad, respectively.
The Trail Blazers ultimately beat the Lakers 109 to 81. (The L.A. team had previously won the last six meetings against Portland.)
Before landing a spot with the Lakers, Bronny played basketball at the University of Southern California. While at the school, his career was briefly paused when he collapsed and suffered a cardiac arrest in a July 2023 practice session. Bronny ultimately underwent surgery to correct an “anatomically and functionally significant congenital heart defect,” which caused the cardiac arrest according to the family’s statement.
Bronny was drafted by the Lakers with the 55th pick in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft. The move made LeBron and Bronny the first-ever father-son duo to play in the league at the same time — and for the same team.
Days after being selected, Bronny shared during a team press conference that he was “just trying to take it all in.”
“Extremely grateful for everything that JJ [Redick] and Rob [Pelinka] have given to me and I’ve just been extremely excited to get to work,” Bronny said in July 2024, referring to the coach and general manager, respectively. “It’s for sure amplified the amount of pressure. I’ve already seen it in media and on the internet and stuff talking about [how] I might not deserve an opportunity. But I’ve been dealing with stuff like this for my whole life. It’s nothing different. It’s more amplified for sure, but I can get through it.”
Bronny made his NBA debut in July 2024 as the Lakers faced off against the Sacramento Kings. In a post-game interview, Bronny opened up about his feelings ahead of the matchup.
“Every first game that I step in the next level, it’s always some butterflies in my stomach,” Bronny said, per a clip shared by Bleacher Report at the time. “But as soon as the ball tips and we go a couple times down, then it all goes away and I [am] just playing basketball. So, you know, it’s always going to be there, but [I] get through it.”
Bronny is LeBron and wife Savannah James’ eldest son. The couple, who tied the knot in September 2013, are also parents to son Bryce, 17, and daughter Zhuri, 10.
