{"id":1848031,"date":"2026-03-26T09:30:51","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T06:30:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1848031"},"modified":"2026-03-26T09:30:51","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T06:30:51","slug":"bronny-james-helps-lakers-win-alongside-father-lebron-he-belongs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1848031","title":{"rendered":"Bronny James helps Lakers win alongside father LeBron: \u2018He belongs\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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INDIANAPOLIS \u2014 The teammates stood, two names on Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick\u2019s substitution matrix, side by side at the scorer\u2019s table in the second half Wednesday night.<\/p>\n

The Laker on the right did his best to stay locked into the game, to try and calm his breaths and focus on the job in front of him: get stops, play hard, be aggressive. The Laker on the left did his best to take the moment in \u2014 one that\u2019s been building for years, a shared bond that other teammates in the NBA have never shared.<\/p>\n

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Both leaned back against the blue cushion atop the table and waited for the horn to announce their entrance. Each crossed their arms in the exact same way.<\/p>\n

Late in the third quarter, play stopped and the announcer said, \u201cIn for the Lakers, Bronny James Jr. and LeBron James.\u201d<\/p>\n

A lot has happened in the 16 months or so since the teammates made NBA history as the first father and son to play in the same game. For Bronny, the novelty has largely worn off as he\u2019s tried to earn a regular spot in the league \u2014 even if he noticed the work genetics did as they stood identically Wednesday night in the third quarter of the Lakers\u2019 137-130 win.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been around him and basketball at the same time for a while now, so it\u2019s not that<\/em> special,\u201d Bronny said after the game. \u201cThe first couple times were, of course, but it\u2019s my second year now. And I\u2019m just trying to prove myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

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With Marcus Smart dealing with an ankle injury and the team ready to get the hell back home, the Lakers needed to find energy. And as they looked down the roster, the coaching staff tabbed Bronny to provide it.<\/p>\n

\u201cFelt like this was a game we really needed him,\u201d Redick said. \u201cIt was a game that, you know, his athleticism, his defense\u2026. we saw it last year, and we\u2019re seeing it again this year, just his growth as a player.\u201d<\/p>\n

But for the player standing next to Bronny at the scorer\u2019s table, Wednesday was absolutely special. It was no gimmick, the two playing alongside one another. It was another stage in a remarkable comeback that people often forget when talking about the Lakers\u2019 2024 second-round pick.<\/p>\n

\u201cEspecially knowing the path, you know, the road \u2026,\u201d LeBron James told The Athletic. <\/em>\u201cSo, just proud of him. I\u2019m super proud of him. And he belongs. He belongs.\u201d<\/p>\n

That path, of course, changed on July 24, 2023, when Bronny suffered cardiac arrest during a summer workout with the USC basketball team. Trainers and emergency responders helped save his life. Surgery corrected a congenital heart defect.<\/p>\n

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In one of their most recent conversations about basketball, LeBron said he saw a look in his oldest son\u2019s eyes \u2014 one he hadn\u2019t noticed since before the incident. That look, he said, was his son saying \u201cI\u2019m back to where I was,\u201d \u2014 confidence in his game, body and mindset all aligning at once.<\/p>\n

\u201cPhysically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally, he\u2019s back,\u201d LeBron said.<\/p>\n

For the Lakers, Wednesday was another moment that reinforced the Lakers\u2019 belief that Bronny is a NBA player, that their investment in his development was wise and that their proclamation that he\u2019s \u201ccase study one\u201d for the player development program bodes well for their plans.<\/p>\n

Forget the meager NBA season stats \u2014 the eye test, especially when given extended opportunities like Wednesday, has Redick and the Lakers positive they have a real NBA player on their hands.<\/p>\n

Postgame, Redick said Bronny\u2019s first-half defense was terrific. A one-handed dunk along the baseline showcased the athleticism he\u2019s learning to consistently unleash. And a pull-up midrange jumper late in the fourth settled things as the Pacers made their final push.<\/p>\n

All of it came in the context of the Lakers trying to win a basketball game, scratching out enough energy to win for the fifth time on a six-game road trip with the flight home looming.<\/p>\n

Pregame, Lakers coaches were nervous about the 48 minutes ahead. The Pacers, fresh off beating Orlando, were a group they felt were better than their 16-57 record. The Lakers were gassed and ready to get off the road, their guards nearing exhaustion after a stretch against Denver, Houston, Miami, Orlando and Detroit. And they were banged up \u2014 Smart, Rui Hachimura, Deandre Ayton and rookie Adou Thiero all unable to play.<\/p>\n

Thanks to another dominant start from Luka Don\u010di\u0107, the Lakers quickly led. They were up 17 when Bronny checked into the game late in the first and led by 22 when he exited in the second. At no point during the shift did he look out of place, at no point did any of it feel orchestrated.<\/p>\n

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\u201cReal, meaningful minutes. I couldn\u2019t dream of better. I couldn\u2019t dream of something better than that. Just couldn\u2019t,\u201d LeBron told The Athletic<\/em>. \u201cFor him to go out and, you know, I mean obviously he\u2019s\u2026 he\u2019s shown over this \u2014 almost two years, year and a half \u2014 his progression. And why he belongs in this league. And what he can do in this league.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, for the coaching staff to trust him tonight, and for him to have significant playing time and make \u2026 make plays \u2014 and for me to be out there on the floor with him \u2014 that\u2019s \u2026 I couldn\u2019t, I couldn\u2019t dream of a better feeling than that. I could not.\u201d<\/p>\n

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What You Should Read Next<\/div>\n
\n \"Bronny<\/p>\n
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\n Bronny James talks Lakers, criticism and what \u2018sparked a little something\u2019 in his game\n <\/div>\n
\n Away from the bright lights (as much as he can be), the 20-year-old has made strides, as any rookie would hope: “I see the progress.”\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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For those paying attention to the NBA\u2019s G League, Bronny\u2019s improvement shouldn\u2019t come as a surprise. After a slow start during the league\u2019s tip-off tournament, he\u2019s been terrific on assignment, averaging 15.3 points on 54.6\/42.1\/90.9 shooting splits.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an example of hard work paying off \u2014 something Bronny, like those crossed arms and big vertical, inherited.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what he\u2019s cut from. That\u2019s just our household. Our household, we don\u2019t, we don\u2019t do s\u2013 half-assed. That\u2019s just how we work. Our whole household. Everybody. Mom, sister, brother, dad, everybody. That\u2019s just how we, that\u2019s how we\u2026 that\u2019s where we come from. We come from the Midwest, and we come from Akron, Ohio where ain\u2019t s\u2014 really given to you,\u201d LeBron told The Athletic.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cSo, like I said before, like the kid, he doesn\u2019t have to do this. After having the situation that he had, you think he had to really, like, work his way to get back in shape and play basketball? He could have been like \u2018Man, f\u2014 this s\u2014. Like \u2018I\u2019m gonna do anything I want.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Wednesday, Bronny got what he wanted.<\/p>\n

\u201cFeels good,\u201d he said after. \u201cYou know, just go out there and play my game, be confident in myself. That\u2019s what I always wanted to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

INDIANAPOLIS \u2014 The teammates stood, two names on Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick\u2019s substitution matrix, side by side at the scorer\u2019s table in the second half Wednesday night. The Laker on the right did his best to stay locked into the game, to try and calm his breaths and focus on the job in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,241],"class_list":["post-1848031","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nytimes-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1848031","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1848031"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1848031\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1848031"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1848031"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1848031"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}