‘Pure joy’ for LeBron James as Bronny joins him at the Los Angeles Lakers Media Day

LOS ANGELES – Before they become the first father-son duo to play together in the National Basketball Association (NBA), LeBron James and Bronny James had their close-up on Sept 30 at Los Angeles Lakers’ media day.

They were at the centre of the show at the pre-season event a few weeks before the start of the 2024-25 season. LeBron made it clear years ago that he wanted to play alongside his son before his NBA career was over, and now that he is teammates with his 19-year-old, he was asked to reflect on his emotions about the arrangement.

“Just pure joy, man. I don’t have any words. I can speak about me. You guys ask me questions about me. When it comes to him, I’m just at a loss for words,” he said.

“Just super proud. Super proud of him to get to this point. He’s a man. He’s ready to go.”

The Lakers selected Bronny, a guard who spent 2023 at the University of Southern California, with the 55th overall pick in June’s NBA Draft.

“This is a crazy feeling. Just looking over at my dad taking pictures, it was like, ‘What’s going on right now?’ (That was) literally my thoughts. Just kind of take it all in. Extremely grateful for the opportunity,” Bronny said.

The father and son spent part of the day posing for photos together and speaking to the press, typical media-day activities.

Soon it will be time to get to work. The Lakers’ season opener is on Oct 22 against the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves.

New coach J.J. Redick did not divulge details about how the team planned to get the Jameses on the court together.

“We don’t have anything planned, per se, in terms of a commitment to do it this way,” Redick said.

“We obviously have talked about it as a staff, and we’ve got into some specifics of what that might look like. But we haven’t committed to anything.”

Redick – a friend and one-time podcast partner of the elder James – is beginning his first coaching position of any kind. James, meanwhile, turns 40 in December and will be playing in his 22nd NBA season, tying Vince Carter for the most in league history.

“I feel really good physically,” the four-time NBA champion said.

“Mentally, I feel really good. Really sharp. Very fresh. Looking forward to getting to work tomorrow. I have not thought about what the future holds. Kind of just living in the moment. Especially with Bronny being here, too. I don’t want to take this moment for granted.”

One thing is for sure: LeBron does not want his son calling him “dad” when they are at work.

“I haven’t gotten there yet. It’s probably gonna be, like, Bron. Bron would be the easiest,” Bronny said at the UCLA Health Training Centre.

Across town, even though he continues to deal with right knee inflammation, Los Angeles Clippers star forward Kawhi Leonard said he does not intend to miss the team’s season opener against the Phoenix Suns on Oct 23.

Speaking at Clippers’ media day on Sept 30, Leonard indicated that his knee issues will not be going away any time soon and could plague him for the remainder of his career.

However, the 33-year-old is optimistic he will at least be able to control the injury with the help of the team’s medical staff.

Leonard has had three operations on his right knee since the 2021 play-offs, with the most recent procedure coming this off-season.

He did not play for the United States at the Paris Olympics and, should he take the floor against Phoenix on opening night, it would mark his first game since Game 3 of the first-round Western Conference play-off series against the Dallas Mavericks in April.

“Yeah, that’s the plan,” Leonard said about playing against the Suns.

“I’m never planning to miss games. It’s just about my body. I’m a human being... As of right now, I think it’s a positive thing to think that I will play. But we’re taking it day by day.” REUTERS