Bronny James Starts His Preseason Journey For Lakers Without LeBron

On Friday night, Bronny James played in his first NBA preseason game, but LeBron James was not in uniform when the Lakers hosted Minnesota for the first of two weekend games in Los Angeles in the Coachella Valley.

Lakers coach JJ Redick decided not to use LeBron James after three grueling days of practice with the Timberwolves, but the 39-year-old NBA all-time leading scorer will likely play against Phoenix on Sunday, which happens to be Bronny’s 20th birthday.

In the Lakers’ 124-107 win over the Timberwolves, Bronny James scored two points on a layup with 56.9 seconds left after missing his first five shots. But the 6-foot-2 guard played the first half of the second quarter and most of the fourth quarter, playing 16 minutes on the court and blocking three shots while also recording a rebound and an assist.

“I liked what I saw from Bronny,” Redick said. “Truthfully, he’s so easy to coach, and he’s got great soul and a great energy about him. I like being around him. I’m rooting for him. He’s a good player that we’re happy to have in our program.”

Bronny James did not speak to reporters after his debut.

Bronny James knows he still has a lot of work to do before he can become the first father and son to play in the same NBA game. His first chance to play for the Lakers’ golden team came early in the second quarter at Acrisure Arena outside Palm Springs.

Bronny, playing alongside Lakers point guard D’Angelo Russell, was intercepted on the team’s first defensive possession, allowing Rob Dillingham an open three-pointer. Bronny’s pass was then intercepted by Nickell Alexander-Walker on the other end, but Bronny rushed in to block the layup attempt.

“He can do some things defensively at his size that are really unique, and he can, I think, turn into a really disruptive defender, and that manifested itself,” Redick said. “On the offensive end, he’s still kind of figuring out who he is, and that’s our job as a player development program to build him up.”

In his first six minutes of play, Bronny missed all three of his shots, including a 3-pointer. During a fast break, he assisted Rui Hachimura in making a 3-pointer from the corner.

When the fourth quarter got underway, Bronny was back, but he missed a jump shot and had a layup attempt blocked. His first basket came in the closing minute when he received a pass from fellow rookie Dalton Knecht and looped a layup over a defender.

Redick stated that after three impressive practices this week, Bronny was given a chance to play in the Lakers’ preseason opener.

LeBron seemed to be intentionally keeping his distance from Bronny during the game so that his eldest son could focus on work. However, during a timeout in the middle of the second quarter, LeBron had a long talk with Bronny, explaining something with gestures, and Bronny nodded.

Bronny James was drafted by the Lakers in the second round and played in the Las Vegas Summer League. He is expected to play for the Lakers in the preseason and then spend most of the regular season with the South Bay Lakers of the G League.

Following the Lakers’ pregame warm-up, Bronny remarked, “Of course there’s nerves.” “But I’m just excited to go out there and learn from the people playing in front of me, and if I get a chance to showcase what I can do, I’m going to do that.”

LeBron was mostly absent from the Lakers’ huddles, as is customary for players who are not playing. Together with Anthony Davis, who missed the first game of the preseason, he mainly stood on the sidelines during timeouts. The two superstars have been in El Segundo for training camp.

Redick stated, “We felt it made the most sense for them to get an off day today, given everything they had this summer and their level of participation over the past three days.” “We told them to simply remain off their feet during shootaround.”

Redick said Thursday that both LeBron James and Davis will play at least one game this weekend.

James and Davis missed the first of the Lakers’ six preseason games as they slowly return to competitive action after a busy summer. LeBron and Davis were part of the U.S. gold-medal-winning team at the Paris Olympics, and they walked to the halfway line to greet Olympic teammate Anthony Edwards of Minnesota just before kickoff.

The crowd on Friday didn’t seem disappointed as they filed into the 22-month-old arena that serves as home to the American Hockey League’s Coachella Valley Firebirds. Hundreds of fans in gold Lakers jerseys, from James to George Mikan, streamed into the building and down the stairs to get a closer look at the pregame warmups.

“The beautiful thing about the Lakers is that we have fans all over the world,” Redick said. “The desert over here is an extension, I think in some ways, of our fan base in LA. It’s a great opportunity for our group to play in front of these fans tonight.”