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LeBron James wins and scores dad points at Bring Kid To Work Day

LeBron James wins and scores dad points at Bring Kid To Work Day

PHOTO USA Today Sports ImagesPHOTO USA Today Sports Images

Fathers, sons and sports form a bond that predates the NBA history made Tuesday night and will surely continue long after.

Whether you smile or squirm, there's no denying that Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James and his son-turned-teammate Bronny have created a unique piece of the chain by being the first father and boy played together in the association.

Forget Christmas. “Bring a child to work” day came early.

While James, 39, will have the luxury of playing alongside his 20-year-old at least this season, he certainly enjoyed the novelty on Tuesday. He did this while helping the Lakers defeat the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves, which was – exhale now, haters – the focus of a nationally televised broadcast.

“Now that that's out of the way,” NBA on TNT analyst Shaquille O'Neal said after the game, “the Lakers did a great job in the paint, which is what they wanted to do.”

Achieving that goal also required a meaningful moment on the Lakers' bench. Four minutes before the end of the second quarter, the James Gang entered the game together to a standing ovation.

Moments earlier, as captured by TNT, LeBron gave advice to Bronny, a second-round pick out of USC.

“You feel the intensity, right?” LeBron said. “But just play it lighthearted. Don't worry about mistakes. Go out there and play hard.”

Los Angeles led by 16 points when Bronny entered the game. He completed 2:41 before returning to the bench, a effort that satiated the crowd, put a big check mark on rookie coach JJ Redick's to-do list and nearly made for an iconic moment.

Unfortunately, Bronny missed an open three-pointer from the left wing after a clear pass from his Pops. As for the box score, Bronny finished 0-for-2 from the floor with one offensive rebound and a minus-five rating, but details were few and far between with LeBron.

“I will never forget that, no matter how old I get or how much my memory fades,” he said. “Everything was just great today. Everything.”

Bronny agreed.

“Going to the scorer’s table with my dad and checking in for the first time – that’s a crazy moment that I’ll never forget,” he said.

Fellow LA rookie Dalton Knecht, a first-rounder from Tennessee, played 16 minutes on Thursday, the second-most among the Lakers' reserves.

O'Neal's TNT colleague Charles Barkley spent much more personal time analyzing Knecht's contributions than Bronny's, a trend that will likely continue this season.

Bronny averaged 1.6 points and 1.2 rebounds in the preseason while shooting just 20% from the floor, suggesting he has some season experience ahead with the South Bay Lakers in the NBA G League.

Bronny was just months away from his 6th birthday when LeBron announced he was taking his talents to South Beach. Tuesday offered a remarkable turning point.

“I've lost a lot of time because of this league,” said LeBron, “I'm committed to this league, I'm on the road… to have this moment where I'm still working and with whom I can work together.” My son – it's one of the greatest gifts I have ever received from the man upstairs. I’ll take full advantage of it.”

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