Bronny James makes his preseason debut with the Lakers without LeBron

Bronny James played 16 minutes in his preseason debut and finished the game with 2 points, 1 assist, 1 rebound and 3 blocked shots.

• Get NBA League Pass TODAY >

PALM DESERT, Calif. (AP) — Bronny James played in his first NBA preseason game on Friday night, but LeBron James was not in his uniform as the Lakers hosted Minnesota in the first of two weekend games from Los Angeles to Coachella Valley.

Lakers coach JJ Redick decided to hold off on LeBron James against the Timberwolves after three tough days in training camp, but the 39-year-old leading scorer in NBA history will likely play against Phoenix on Sunday – which happens to be Bronny’s 20th birthday .

Bronny James finished with two points in the Lakers’ 124-107 loss to the Timberwolves, missing his first five shots before making a layup with 56.9 seconds left in the game. But the 6-foot-2 guard also blocked three shots and picked up a rebound and an assist while playing the first half of the second quarter and most of the fourth quarter, ending up with 16 minutes in the game.

Bronny James wins the trophy for the first time with a strong performance #NBAPreseason Points!

📺 MIN-LAL on NBA TV pic.twitter.com/WtZcuzR7f8

– NBA (@NBA) October 5, 2024

“I liked what I saw from Bronny,” Redick said. “Honestly he is so easy to coach and he has a great soul and great energy. I like being around him. I keep my fingers crossed for him. He is a good player that we are happy to have in our program.”

Bronny James did not speak to reporters after his debut.

Before they become the first father and son to play in the same NBA game, Bronny James knows he still has a lot of work to do. His first chance to play for the Lakers’ gold medal came when he took the floor early in the second quarter at Acrisure Arena outside Palm Springs.

Playing alongside D’Angelo Russell, the Lakers’ starting point guard, Bronny was caught on a pick on his first defensive possession, allowing Rob Dillingham to hit an open three-pointer. Bronny’s pass was then intercepted by Nickeil Alexander-Walker on the other side, but Bronny pushed back and blocked his layup attempt.

“He can do some things defensively at his size that are really unique and I think he can develop into a really disruptive defender and that’s shown,” Redick said. “On offense, he’s still figuring out who he is and that’s our job as a player development program to build him up.”

Bronny missed all three of his shots in the first six minutes of the game, including a three-pointer. He received an assist when he hit Rui Hachimura with a three-pointer from the corner on a quick counterattack.

Bronny returned early in the fourth quarter, missed a jumper and had a layup attempt blocked. In the final minute, he received a pass from fellow rookie Dalton Knecht and hit a layup over a defender to score his first points.

Redick said Bronny earned playing time in the Lakers’ season opener with three strong performances in practice this week.

LeBron appeared to keep an attentive distance from Bronny during the game so his eldest son could concentrate on his work. But LeBron spoke to Bronny at length during a timeout midway through the second quarter, explaining something with hand gestures as Bronny nodded.

Bronny James was the Lakers’ second-round draft pick and played in the Summer League in Las Vegas. He is expected to play for the Lakers in the preseason before spending much of the upcoming regular season with the G League’s South Bay Lakers.

“Of course the nerves are there,” Bronny said after the Lakers’ pregame shootout. “But I’m just excited to go out there and learn from the people that play in front of me, and if I get the chance to show what I can do, I’ll do that.”

As is typical of inactive players, LeBron largely stayed away from the Lakers’ huddles. During the timeouts he was mostly on the sidelines with Anthony Davis, who also sat out the start of the pre-season. Both superstars were in training camp in El Segundo.

“Given everything they’ve had this summer and their involvement over the last three days, we felt it would make the most sense for them to have a day off today,” Redick said. “We told them at shootaround to just stay on their feet.”

Redick said Thursday that both LeBron James and Davis will play in at least one game this weekend.

James and Davis will have to sit out the first of the Lakers’ six preseason games as they slowly ease back into contention after a busy summer. LeBron and Davis were both on the U.S. team that won a gold medal at the Paris Olympics and walked to midfield just before the start of the game to greet Anthony Edwards of Minnesota, their Olympic teammate.

The crowd didn’t seem disappointed Friday as they streamed into the 22-month-old arena that is home to the American Hockey League’s Coachella Valley Firebirds. Hundreds of fans in gold Lakers jerseys, representing everyone from James to George Mikan, rushed into the building and down the stairs in the lower bowl for an up-close look at the pregame warmups.

“The great thing about the Lakers is we have fans all over the world,” Redick said. “The desert here is, I think, in some ways an extension of our fan base in LA. It’s a great opportunity for our group to play in front of these fans tonight.”