JJ Redick Did Not Want LeBron James and Bronny’s Historic Moment to Look Like a Gimmick

LeBron and Bronny James officially made history as the first father-son duo to play together in an NBA game during the Lakers preseason matchup against the Suns. There is no denying that the historic moment brought a large amount of publicity to the team. However, head coach JJ Redick wanted the moment to come naturally.

Jovan Buha of the Athletic provided insight on the historic moment following the Lakers 118-114 loss to the Suns. He revealed Redick’s intention of heading into the game without announcing the moment. Buha said,

“Pregame, we asked JJ about if he planned it or if he was planning it and knew what it was going to be. He said he wasn’t quite sure, and he was still trying to figure it out. He didn’t want it to be gimmicky, and he wanted it to come within the flow of the game.”

However, Buha revealed that “this was something that had been planned.” Redick had told LeBron and Bronny before the game that they were going to play together. The Lakers Head Coach wanted to prepare the two for the massive emotional moment in advance.

Redick has remained poised in his first season coaching professional basketball. He decided to keep the media out of the loop, to eliminate as much pressure from Bronny ahead of the historic moment.

The lack of noise from the media resulted in fewer questions regarding the inevitable moment. Strictly allowing Bronny to focus on basketball. Furthermore, now that the moment has passed, Bronny can focus solely on his game.

LeBron James fulfilled a lifelong dream

In addition to the historic milestone, LeBron James fulfilled his lifelong dream of playing in an NBA game with his son.

In unaired footage from James’ multimedia platform UNINTERRUPTED, LeBron revealed what the greatest achievement of his life would be. He said,

“You want to ask me, ‘What was the greatest achievement in my life?’ If I’m on the same court as my son in the NBA. That would be No. 1 in my lifetime as an NBA player.”

Catch some never-before-seen moments with @kingjames & @money23green from this year’s #NBAFinals. #MoreThanAnAthlete pic.twitter.com/TsahUp0WEy

— UNINTERRUPTED (@uninterrupted) June 11, 2018

James’ quote came during the 2018 NBA Finals. Six years later, he has accomplished his life’s greatest achievement.

The father-son duo played only four minutes and nine seconds in their first experience on the court together. Although the two didn’t share any highlights, it didn’t diminish the moment.

Bronny is in the process of proving his worth as an NBA player after a tough college career. However, that won’t limit the chances of him and his father sharing even greater moments this season.