Brony James makes NBA preseason debut, LeBron watches from the bench | CNN

LeBron James watched from the bench as his son Bronny James played his first NBA preseason minutes for the LA Lakers on Friday.

The 19-year-old played 16 minutes in the Lakers' 124-107 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves and showed flashes of potential, finishing with two points.

He was introduced to the game in the second quarter where he played the first half, before most of the fourth.

After missing his first five shots, Broney finally made a layup with less than a minute left in the game, a shot greeted by loud cheers from the crowd at Acrisar Arena.

Although his shooting wasn't as sharp as he would have liked, the 6-foot-2 guard blocked three shots, picked up a rebound and an assist.

“He can do some things defensively at his size that are really unique, and I think can become a really disruptive defender,” Lakers coach JJ Redick told reporters when asked about Brony's performance.

“It manifested itself. On the offensive end, he's still figuring out who he is. It's our job as a player development program just to develop him.

“But to be honest, he's very easy to coach. He has a great soul. And just a great energy about him. I love being around him. I'm rooting for her. He's a good player that we're happy to have in our program.”

Redick opted to rest LeBron against the Timberwolves, but the 39-year-old could be in contention for Sunday's game at the Phoenix Suns — which also happens to be Brony's 20th birthday.

Broney, whose jersey reads “James Jr.” Back, was selected 55th overall by the Lakers in the 2024 NBA draft in June, joining his father in the franchise.

The duo is expected to become the first father-son team to play together on an NBA team.

Speaking together during a Lakers media event earlier this week, LeBron described the moment as “pure joy.”

“When it comes to her (Brony), I'm at a loss for words. (I'm) so proud of him to be in this position,” LeBron said as his son sat next to him. “He's a man, and he's ready to go.

“It's been a joy to watch him grow up and know what he's been up to over the years. And to use that as motivation every day to go back and get to where he wanted to be.