NBA

LeBron James and his son Bronny make history

LeBron James (l.) and his son Bronny James(Bild: APA/Getty Images via AFP/GETTY IMAGES/Harry How)

LeBron James and his son Bronny James have made NBA history.

For the first time, father and son played together for a team in a competitive game in the North American basketball league, with 39-year-old LeBron James and his 20-year-old son celebrating a 110:103 home win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in the season opener with the Los Angeles Lakers. The champions also got off to a successful start: The Boston Celtics clearly beat the New York Knicks 132:109.

Big cheers
The historic moment came four minutes before half-time when father and son were substituted at the same time. Cheers erupted as the James duo took off their warm-up shirts before being substituted. In the end, Bronny James was only on the floor for three minutes and failed to score. LeBron James scored 16 points, while Anthony Davis was the Lakers' best scorer with 36 points and 16 rebounds.

"Family always comes before everything else," said LeBron James. "I missed a lot of my son's experiences because I was often at away games. To experience this moment now is one of the greatest gifts I've received from the man at the top." Bronny James was also impressed: "This is a crazy moment that I will never forget."

Bronny James was selected by the Lakers at the end of the second round in this year's NBA draft, and his pre-season preparation was not yet convincing. It remains to be seen how big a role he will play for the Lakers.

Boston set an NBA record in the season opener. The defending champions sank 29 threes, something only the Milwaukee Bucks had managed before. Jayson Tatum stood out for the Celtics with 37 points and eight three-pointers. Before the game, the Celtics had draped a championship banner for their 18th NBA title under the ceiling of the arena.