Everyone’s focused on this historic moment: LeBron James and his son Bronny sharing the NBA court. But in my view, today’s game doesn’t count at all.
No other reason—this was just a preseason game.
A preseason game is like a rehearsal before a play. You can’t say that rehearsing together means you’ve both stepped onto the stage.
As I summed up during today’s Tencent live broadcast: The Lakers were in full dress rehearsal, while the Suns showed up in tank tops, shorts, and flip-flops—no “costumes” needed.
But even in this preseason game the Lakers carefully orchestrated, Bronny Jr. didn’t play well—nowhere near his first preseason performance.
In the first game, he missed his first five shots but grabbed 2 points in the final minute. His offensive efficiency was low, but he had 3 blocks at least.
Today, he played 13 minutes, scored zero points, and barely got shooting opportunities. The only shot he made was called an offensive foul and didn’t count, with 4 turnovers with 4 turnovers throughout the game.
Today is Bronny’s 20th birthday, and the Lakers’ deployed their regular-season rotation players full-force. The father-son moment was his birthday gift. LeBron dropped 19 points in 16 minutes, and Anthony Davis had 17 points in 18 minutes—crazy efficient.
But the father-son pairing reeks of artificiality.
From these two games, it’s clear Bronny isn’t ready for NBA action. Even when the starters sat, with Hood-Schifino handling the ball, Bronny still couldn’t get opportunities. He’d usually stand in the corners; when plays drove to the rim, he’d move to the top of the key, but the ball never found him.
If Bronny forces his way into the rotation, Hood-Schifino gets squeezed out. You have Daddy’s protection; others don’t. The NBA is a cutthroat, dog-eat-dog world.
I won’t dive deep into analyzing Bronny’s performance—it’s pointless. He’s just not ready for the NBA. But on the topic of him forcing his way into the league, my take differs from many.
Mocking Bronny for playing in the NBA despite not being ready? That’s because it feels wildly unfair to ordinary players. Like Hood-Schifino—why should you get passes when you can’t make shots?
But here’s the thing: The world works this way. Traffic (attention) might matter more.
Playing in the NBA isn’t a civil service job. For a civil service gig, you need equal competition. But in the NBA, beyond the sport, it’s the NBA, it’s also a commercial spectacle. Great play drives traffic, but if you already bring traffic, how well you play takes a back seat.
Bronny brings traffic to the Lakers, sparks attention, and makes the team money—so they’ll give him chances. This opportunity is basically an extension of LeBron’s personal influence.
Sure, it seems unfair to other players, but since it’s a business show, the Lakers see it as a bargain. Even if they give him a four-year contract worth nearly $8 million, with $4.3 million guaranteed, they’ve clearly calculated that the father-son duo’s benefits will exceed $4.3 million.
The Lakers aren’t alone. Brands jumped in early: Bronny had endorsement deals before college, raking in $5.9 million from sneakers, headphones, and underwear in his one college year—way more than any other NCAA player.
Of course, Bronny can’t just be a “performer” in the NBA forever. Economics has a term: diminishing marginal utility. If he doesn’t improve his offensive skills and earn his spot, his traffic will fade.
The NBA has no shortage of father-son duos—like the Paytons, Thompsons, or Hardaways. Those sons earned their NBA stripes. Bronny hasn’t yet, but his dad sticking around long enough to be his teammate? That’s a unique legacy no other NBA father-son pair has matched.
I’m sure LeBron gets this too: “The father leads the way, but the son must master the craft himself.” He can’t shield Bronny forever.
Private training and instilling elite basketball IQ since childhood aren’t enough. That’s why LeBron will surely support Bronny in the G League to grind.
Once Bronny levels up in the G League during the regular season, scheduling another father-son game makes sense.
So let’s not force the narrative in the first regular-season game against the Timberwolves.
