Ken Griffey Sr., Ken Griffey Jr., Bronny James and LeBron James pose for a photo prior to Tuesday’s season opener.
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — LeBron James Sr. and his son, Bronny, made NBA history Tuesday night by playing in the same game for the Los Angeles Lakers, and Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. were there to witness it.
The first father-son duo to play together in Major League Baseball were courtside at the Lakers’ downtown arena to witness the same history they made in Major League Baseball. The two sluggers played 51 games together for the Seattle Mariners in 1990 and 1991 as baseball’s first father-son duo.
The Jameses and the Griffeys met up during pregame warmups for some photos and a warm chat between two remarkable family lines.
“First father and son to play baseball, (and) now the first father and son to play basketball,” the younger Griffey told MLB Network Radio before the game. “It’s a big deal for my dad and I to be there. We made history. Now we get to watch history, so that’s what’s going to be cool about it.”
Ken Griffey Jr. will bring Ken Griffey Sr. to watch @KingJames and Bronny in the @Lakers season opener.@MLB history meets @NBA history, as Junior told me in The Road to Cooperstown podcast for @MLBNetworkRadio and @baseballhall. @MLBNetwork https://t.co/YgRvqJK4VM
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) October 21, 2024
A father and son play together roughly once in a generation in North American professional sports. The Griffeys accomplished the feat in 1990 and 1991, playing in 51 games for the Seattle Mariners — and even homering in the same game on Sept. 14, 1990.
LeBron and Bronny James open the second quarter on the court together for the first time in preseason game action.
Tim Raines and his namesake son also played four games together for the Baltimore Orioles at the end of the 2001 season. Before that, Gordie Howe suited up with his sons Mark and Marty in the WHA and the NHL and for Team Canada in the 1970s.
Bronny grew up in his father’s locker rooms and arenas in Cleveland, Miami and Los Angeles, so he’s more than ready to get beyond the historic moment and into the day-to-day grind of becoming a contributing NBA player. The Lakers begin the season with three home games in five days.
Bronny played in all six of the Lakers’ preseason games, but his 4.2 points per game average was boosted greatly by his 17-point performance in last week’s preseason finale in which the Lakers and Warriors both rested most of their key players.
Bronny hit 29.7% of his shots in the preseason while averaging 1.7 rebounds and 0.3 assists, playing 16.2 minutes per game. His defensive work was praised by Redick, who sees the 6-foot-2 guard becoming a solid perimeter player in the future.
“Had some bad games, some rough starts, so (I’ve been) just continuing to play my game and play hard,” Bronny said.
Bronny isn’t expected to be an immediate rotation player for the Lakers, who already have D’Angelo Russell, Gabe Vincent and 2023 first-round pick Jalen Hood-Schifino ahead of him at point guard. There’s a good chance Bronny will begin the season with the Lakers before heading to the G League to get the consistent playing time he probably needs to improve.
But he’s still thrilled to reach this milestone moment — and he’s even pretty sure what he’ll call his father on the court after LeBron prohibited him from using “Dad.”
“Probably Bron,” Bronny said with a smile. “That will probably be the easiest one.”
