"See the intensity?"- TNT audio assist releases LeBron James' message to Bronny before subbing in
LA Lakers rookie Bronny James made his NBA debut on Tuesday against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Right before he checked in, his father, LeBron James, was heard giving him a pep talk.
The young James checked into the game with four minutes remaining in the second quarter along with his dad, creating history as the first-ever father-and-son duo to play alongside in a regular NBA game. Bronny, however, played only a little over two minutes before being subbed out, going 0-of-2 from the field and grabbing a rebound.
In a TNT audio assist released on social media, LeBron James was caught having a brief talk with his son, saying:
"You're ready? See the intensity? But play carefree though. Don't mind mistakes, just play hard."
Check out what he had to say below:
By halftime, the Lakers were leading the Timberwolves, 57-44. Anthony Davis top-scored for the team with 14 points and Rui Hachimura had 11. LeBron James, meanwhile, had 8 points in 17 minutes.
While the Lakers had their way in the opening half, leading 57-44, they found themselves in a tougher battle the rest of the way before hacking out a 110-103 victory.
Anthony Davis led the way for the Lakers as his finished with a monster double-double of 36 points and 16 rebounds, Rui Hachimura backstopped him with 18 points while LeBron James had 16 of his own. For Minnesota, it was Anthony Edwards who top-scored with 27 points.
LeBron James happy to see son Bronny come a long way from health scare
LeBron James is happy and proud to see son Bronny realize his NBA dreams, more so since it was almost taken away from him after he experienced a health scare last year.
Bronny played his first official NBA regular season game on Tuesday against the Minnesota Timberwolves, entering the game with four minutes to go in the second quarter along with his dad to make history as the first father-and-son duo in league annals to play alongside in an NBA game.
Four-time NBA champion James opened up about his thoughts on seeing his son now playing in the NBA ahead of their game against the Timberwolves, saying (via ESPN):
“[It was] not too long ago that the scare happened. And when he’s able to grace an NBA floor, if that’s tonight or whenever the case may be, it’ll be another one of those moments just to know the adversity that he went through.”
Before he was selected 55th overall by the Lakers in this year’s NBA Draft, Bronny James saw his basketball career nearly ended after he suffered a cardiac arrest as he was preparing to play for the USC Trojans in college.
He had surgery on it after and made his way back to the court and played a season at USC. He had his struggles but was undeterred in pushing for his NBA dreams. Now with the Lakers, he is hoping to continue elevating his game under the guidance of his NBA superstar father LeBron James and the rest of the team.