LeBron James is proud of Bronny ahead of potential first pairing on court

With LeBron watching from the bench, Bronny James made his preseason debut on Friday night.

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PALM DESERT, Calif. (AP) — Bronny James said his famous father gave him encouragement and advice after his NBA preseason debut with the Los Angeles Lakers.

LeBron James also made it clear that he is proud of his son as they approach another chance to play together on Sunday night.

Bronny scored two points and blocked three shots during the Lakers' loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night at Acrisure Arena. LeBron didn't sit and watch his son from the Lakers' bench at the season opener.

“Yeah, there were some things we talked about,” Bronny said. “I'd rather not go into detail, just support and say, 'Keep working hard, keep being confident.' Stuff like that.”

After practice on Saturday, LeBron expressed his satisfaction at seeing Bronny's next basketball step in what has been a tumultuous year for his eldest son, who started high school just 16 months ago.

“It was great to see Bronny out there,” LeBron said.

Bronny recovered from a frightening cardiac arrest in July 2023 and played part of a season in Southern California before being drafted and selected in the second round by the Lakers.

“Every rank you climb is always an adjustment to get used to,” LeBron said. “So as he went to middle school, high school, USC and now the pros, he’s always making an adjustment. The more time he's on the floor with the pros, the speed, the cadence and all those things, you get better and better. And you have to remember that he lost almost a third of his season last year due to his illness, but he's getting better every day. He kept working on it.”

Bronny went 1-for-6 from the field for 16 minutes, but showed off his defensive skills on a number of plays that led Lakers coach JJ Redick to call him “disruptive” for opponents. Bronny viewed the entire experience as an important milestone in his journey, but also just another step.

“I would say it's a game for new beginnings, just trying to go out there and get a feel for the game, get comfortable like I did in Summer League,” Bronny said. “I feel like it’s basically the same thing. Just go out there and feel things.”

Bronny could play alongside his father for the first time on Sunday night when the Lakers host the Phoenix Suns in Los Angeles' second game in Coachella Valley. Sunday is also Bronny's 20th birthday.

LeBron and Anthony Davis will both play against the Suns, Redick confirmed Saturday. Both superstars were forced to take a break after Friday's defeat after a week of training camp following a long summer that also included gold medals at the Paris Olympics.

“I think we want to build on what we did in practice today,” LeBron said. “I think we were very careful about what we wanted to achieve in the future. I think (Friday) was one of those first games. It’s been a while since many people have played in a gaming environment and it looked like this.”