LeBron and his son Bronny James will play together for the first time in the preseason for the Lakers.

PALM DESERT, California, USA —

LeBron James and his son Bronny made NBA history Sunday night when they played together for the first time during the Los Angeles Lakers’ preseason game against Phoenix.

LeBron and Bronny are the first father-son duo to play together in the same NBA game, even on the same team. A historic moment for the James family coincidentally occurred on Bronny’s 20th birthday.

Bronny James came off the bench early in the second period, joining his father on the court after returning from a timeout. Fans at Acrisure Arena in the Coachella Valley cheered when they heard Bronny’s name.

LeBron James is entering his record 22nd season in the NBA, and LeBron James Jr., also known as Bronny, was a second-round draft pick over the summer. After recovering from cardiac arrest more than a year ago, Bronny played just one season in Southern California before being drafted and joining the Lakers.

It wasn’t easy for the James family as Bronny made two mistakes and LeBron made another mistake in the first two minutes of their game. Shortly after LeBron made the three-pointer, moments later LeBron passed the ball to Bronny and set a screen for his son so he could attempt the three-pointer, but Bronny missed.

Bronny left the field to replace him at 4:09 of the second quarter, and LeBron did so 25 seconds later on the next play with a dead ball.

Although LeBron will turn 40 at the end of December, the leading scorer in NBA history shows no signs of aging. He had talked about his dream of playing in the NBA with one of his sons for years, and the Lakers made it a reality when they selected Bronny with the 55th pick in the draft.

Lakers coach JJ Redick said before the game that LeBron and Bronny would play together “as the game progresses,” promising that it wouldn’t be “effective.”

Bronny played about nine minutes in the second half but did not attempt another shot in the Lakers’ 118-114 loss to the Suns.

During the regular season, they will join a short list of fathers and sons who have competed in professional sports in North America. Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. played together with the Seattle Mariners in the 1990 and 1991 MLB seasons, and hockey great Gordie Howe played with his sons Marty and Mark for the WHA’s Houston Eros and WHA’s Hartford Whalers . NHL.