Getty LeBron James and Bronny James of the Los Angeles Lakers on defense against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena on October 22, 2024.
On October 22, Lakers teammates LeBron James and Bronny James made history when they checked in with 4:00 left in the second quarter against the Timberwolves, becoming the first father-son duo to share an NBA court. The moment had most fans and analysts smiling from ear to ear in joy for the James family.
LeBron James.
Bronny James.
The first father-son duo to play together in the NBA!
LeBron: “You ready?”
Bronny: “Yup.”
This LeBron and Bronny moment mic’d up ❤️🎙️
However, several others felt the historic moment was ingenuine and fabricated, and that Bronny should have never been in an NBA court in the first place.
“If Bronny’s debut isn’t manufactured, then I don’t know what the word manufactured means. I am not impressed.” – Michelle Beadle
@MichelleDBeadle‘s opinion on Bronny’s debut is quite different than @TeamLou23 and @ChandlerParsons‘ 👀
WE’RE LIVE 📺 t.co/CfAwAvgFYZ
Fan Duel TV’s Michelle Beadle was particularly critical of the way the Lakers introduced LeBron and Bronny to the court together during the team’s 2024-25 season opener.
“The entire day was centered around this manufactured moment of history that we finally got in the second quarter,” Beadle said on “Run It Back” on October 23, referring to earlier promos and hype videos of James and Bronny playing together as teammates.
Don’t be late ROOK! 🤣🤴🏾👑🫡
Beadle elaborated on why the moment felt “manufactured” and ingenuine.
“When Russell Westbrook was chasing the triple-double record, and stat-padding towards the end, many said, ‘this is fake history. this is manufactured history.’ Russell Westbrook made it to the league on his own and did that all by himself. If this [Bronny entering NBA] isn’t manufactured, then I don’t know what the word means. But, again, I am not impressed, and I thought this was so ridiculous.”
LeBron James Got Emotional Post Game
In his post-match news conference, James detailed the emotions that came over him when he and Bronny first checked into the game together.
“That moment, us being at the scorer’s table together and checking in together, something I will never forget,” LeBron said, via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “No matter how old I get, no matter how my memory may fade as I get older or whatever, I will never forget that moment.”
Bronny said he viewed the occasion as just a regular basketball game than being carried by the weight of the moment.
“I tried not to focus on everything that was going on around me and tried to focus on going in as a rookie and not trying to mess up,” Bronny said. “But yeah, I totally did feel the energy, and I appreciate the Laker Nation for showing the support for me and my dad.”
Bronny played just three minutes before checking out, but attempted three shots during his time on the floor, including a missed three set up by his father. When Bronny shot up the deep ball, 18,997 fans at Crypto.com Arena held their collective breath, but the 19-year-old missed the shot. If Bronny had connected, of the headlines this morning would have read: first father-son assist in NBA history.
BRONNY FOR 3. 🔥
Bronny James Could Be Sent to G League
Lakers star Anthony Davis, who registered a monster stat line of 36 points, 16 rebounds and three blocks, revealed that the entire bench was hyped when Bronny fired the three.
“We wanted that 3 to go in,” he said, via ESPN. “Bron threw it to him, and we wanted, obviously, for that to go in. But just looking at them checking in at the same time at the scorer’s table, it gave me like a little chills.”
Michelle Beadle wasn’t the only TV analyst critical of how the Lakers introduced Bronny to the basketball verse. ESPN’s “Mad Dog” Chris Russo was particularly critical on the October 23 edition of “First Take,” as seen in the clips below.
“It’s not a sports moment. To me, there’s a fakeness to it.”
“Let’s calm down… This might be fun for LeBron. Nobody in America cares that Bronny James played 3 minutes and grabbed 1 rebound… and this is supposed to be a moment that America is gonna resonate with?”
– Mad Dog Russo 😳
While Bronny’s debut seemingly upset some people, they may not see LeBron’s son in an NBA uniform all that frequently. Per several insiders, Bronny is likely headed to the South Bay Lakers, the Lakers’ G League team, within the first half of November.
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Lakers Blasted for Bronny James’ ‘Fake’ And ‘Manufactured’ Debut