PALM DESERT, Calif. (AP) 鈥� Bronny James played in his first NBA preseason game Friday night, but LeBron James wasn't in uniform with him when hosted Minnesota in the first of Los Angeles' two weekend games in the Coachella Valley.
Lakers coach JJ Redick elected to hold out LeBron James against the Timberwolves after three hard days of training camp, but the 39-year-old top scorer in NBA history is likely to play against Phoenix on Sunday 鈥� which just happens to be Bronny's 20th birthday.
Bronny James finished with two points in the Lakers鈥� 124-107 loss to the Timberwolves, missing his first five shots before making a layup with 56.9 seconds to play. But the 6-foot-2 guard also blocked three shots, and he picked up one rebound and one assist while playing the first half of the second quarter and most of the fourth, finishing with 16 minutes of action.
鈥淚 liked what I saw from Bronny,鈥� Redick said. 鈥淭ruthfully, he鈥檚 so easy to coach, and he鈥檚 got great soul and a great energy about him. I like being around him. I鈥檓 rooting for him. He鈥檚 a good player that we鈥檙e happy to have in our program.鈥�
Bronny James didn't speak to reporters after his debut.
Before they become to play in the same NBA game, Bronny James knows he has plenty of work to do. He got his first chance to play in Lakers gold when he took the floor to begin the second quarter at Acrisure Arena outside Palm Springs.
Playing alongside starting Lakers point guard D鈥橝ngelo Russell, Bronny got caught on a pick on his first defensive possession, allowing Rob Dillingham to hit an open 3-pointer. Bronny's pass was then intercepted by Nickeil Alexander-Walker on the other end, but Bronny hustled back and blocked his layup attempt.
鈥淗e can do some things defensively at his size that are really unique, and he can, I think, turn into a really disruptive defender, and that manifested itself,鈥� Redick said. 鈥淥n the offensive end, he鈥檚 still kind of figuring out who he is, and that鈥檚 our job as a player development program to build him up.鈥�
Bronny missed all three of his shots during his first six minutes of action, including a 3-pointer. He picked up an assist when he found Rui Hachimura for a 3-pointer from the corner on a fast break.
Bronny returned for the start of the fourth quarter, missing a jumper and having a layup attempt blocked. In the final minute, he got a pass from fellow rookie Dalton Knecht and looped a layup over a defender for his first points.
Redick said Bronny earned playing time in the Lakers' preseason opener with three strong performances in practice this week.
LeBron appeared to be keeping a mindful distance from Bronny during the game, allowing his oldest son to focus on his job. But LeBron spoke at length to Bronny during a timeout halfway through the second quarter, explaining something with hand gestures while Bronny nodded.
Bronny James was , and he played in summer league in Las Vegas. He is expected to play for the Lakers in the preseason before spending a significant portion of the upcoming regular season with the G League鈥檚 South Bay Lakers.
鈥淥f course there鈥檚 nerves,鈥� Bronny said after the Lakers鈥� pregame shootaround. 鈥淏ut I鈥檓 just excited to go out there and learn from the people playing in front of me, and if I get a chance to showcase what I can do, I鈥檓 going to do that.鈥�
As is typical for inactive players, LeBron largely stayed away from the Lakers' huddles. He mostly stood on the perimeter during timeouts with Anthony Davis, who also sat out the preseason opener. Both superstars have been at training camp in El Segundo.
鈥淲e felt like, given everything they had this summer, and their level of participation over the past three days, it made the most sense for them to get an off day today,鈥� Redick said. 鈥淲e told them at shootaround to just stay off their feet.鈥�
Redick said Thursday that will play in at least one game this weekend.
James and Davis are sitting out the first of the Lakers鈥� six preseason games after a busy summer. LeBron and Davis were both on the U.S. team that won a gold medal at the Paris Olympics, and they walked to midcourt right before tipoff to greet Minnesota鈥檚 Anthony Edwards, their Olympic teammate.
Friday's crowd didn't seem disappointed as it poured into the 22-month-old arena that serves at the home of 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.
鈥淭he beautiful thing about the Lakers is that we have fans all over the world,鈥� Redick said. 鈥淭he desert over here is an extension, I think in some ways, of our fan base in LA. It's a great opportunity for our group to play in front of these fans tonight.鈥�
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AP NBA:
Greg Beacham, The Associated Press
