Months of discussions and anticipation. The moment has finally materialized on October 7. As the Lakers played their pre-season game against the Phoenix Suns, LeBron James and son Bronny took the court together and played for around four minutes in the second quarter. Historic it was. After all, it is the first such instance in the NBA and that too came on Bronny’s 20th birthday!

Bronny, Donning a #9 jersey bearing “James Jr.” across the back, came off for a substitute 4:09 into the second quarter, and LeBron came off 25 seconds later at the next dead ball. In probably one of the best birthday gifts of his life, Bronny, alongside his legendary father, received a cheer from the Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, California, crowd when they played together. But things were not favorable for the James family initially.

Bronny committed two turnovers and LeBron made one more in their first two minutes together. Shortly after LeBron hit a 3-pointer and moments later, he got the ball to Bronny and set a screen for his son’s 3-point attempt. The fans were on their toes in anticipation. but Bronny missed. But that was not the night was all about. It was about the emotion that ran high through the arena and LeBron summed it up aptly after the game.

He took to his X to write, “Wow that was surreal.” Asked about having this moment on his son’s birthday, LeBron said it “means everything.” He further added, “For someone who didn’t have a dad growing up, to be able to have that influence on your kids. Then ultimately, to be able to work with your son, I think it’s one of the greatest things that a father could ever hope for or wish for.” 

So LeBron let it all flow in his Instagram. He posted every picture he shared with his 20-year-old son during their game. Understandably, the comment section was flooded with reactions. Among them was Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan’s elder son Jeffrey.

Jordan’s sons Jeffrey and Marcus Jordan have never been to the NBA. But they have been in collegiate basketball. And that must have been enough for them to face comparisons with their larger-than-life father, and they know how it goes. So, as history was made in the NBA, Jeffrey did not stay away from lauding the occasion. He rightfully left two crowns under the picture. The symbolism is easy to understand, a crown each for the King and Bronny James, the heir. Notably, father and son playing together is not an absolutely alien concept in sports.

In ice hockey, Gordie Howe, by then in his 50s, played for the Hartford Whalers with his sons, Mark and Marty, during the 1979-80 season. In baseball, Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. patrolled the outfield together for the Seattle Mariners for parts of two seasons while Tim Raines Sr. and Tim Raines Jr. suited up together briefly for the Baltimore Orioles. But the kind of buildup and scrutiny that went into LeBron and James’ case are truly unprecedented. In fact, LeBron himself fiercely wanted to make that a reality.

King James had said to the Athletic, “Wherever Bronny is at, that’s where I’ll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for one year. It’s not about the money at that point.” LeBron had 19 points, five rebounds and four assists in 16 minutes during the first half of the game, and he watched the Lakers’ second half from the bench alongside Anthony Davis. But could Brony live up to his surname in the historic evening?

To tell the truth, apart from the history part, Bronny might want to forget the game. Apart from the fact that the Lakers lost the game 118-114, a look at Bronny’s stats will also tell you that.

Points: 0
FG: 0-for-1
Rebounds: 2
Assists: 0
Steals: 0
Blocks: 0
Turnovers: 4
Fouls: 2

In fact, Bronny’s stats were not too much impressive in collegiate basketball as well. James averaged just under 20 minutes per game at USC, coming off the bench in 19 of his 25 games. While James proved his raw ability as a shooter at the NBA Combine, the shots generally weren’t falling in his freshman season. He shot only 36.6 percent from the floor and made barely more than a quarter of his 3-point attempts. At USC, he averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game.

Understandably, when the Lakers recruited Bronny, it raised many eyebrows with the question of why should they take someone who averaged less than five points. For many, the LeBron James factor was all they sniffed. Comedian Aries Spears, called the Lakers ‘a joke’ for drafting Bronny. He did not mince his words as he said, “Don’t know how much longer this window is for LeBron, and the general feeling is, you know, wink wink, he just wanted to play with his son,” Spears said. “Once he’s accomplished that, basically he’s about to retire.”

This inevitably brought the comparison with Michael Jordan who also had the clout, maybe more than LeBron, to push his sons into the NBA landscape. And Spears thought that is the reason Jordan, not LeBron, will be the GOAT forever. On the other hand, Kwame Brown even argued that at least Jordan’s younger son Marcus had better college stats than Bronny.

Marcus averaged 8.0 points per game during his freshman season in 2009-10 with the UCF. His career-high 28 points came against West Florida on November 12, 2010, during his second year. He also registered 18 points to lead UCF to a stunning upset against No. 16 ranked Florida on December 1, 2010. Marcus left the team before the 2012-13 season and graduated in 2013. He played three seasons in total during his college career. He upped his averages to 15.2 ppg in his sophomore year but then slipped to 13.7 ppg in his final year with the team.

Referring to all these Brown had said, “MJ was in a better position, bro. Not only LeBron don’t own the Lakers, MJ had part ownership of the Wizards. If you believe in nepotism. He’s not only a player but a part-owner at the time so nobody could have told no to his son, nobody.” Despite such claims, Bronny has said that he was ready for handling all these.

“I’ve already seen it, media and on the internet and stuff talking about [how] I might not deserve an opportunity, but I’ve been dealing with stuff like this for my whole life, so it’s nothing different. It’s more amplified for sure, but I can get through it,” Bronny had said. And Jeffrey was amazed by that as he identified that ability much before Bronny’s entry to the NBA.

Starting on the same path, Bronny and Jeffrey’s course deviated later in life

When on The Field Of 68: After Dark podcast two years ago, the 35-year-old said he has followed not just Bronny but also Bryce in their basketball endeavors. He also jokingly made a pitch to them. “I would love to bring them on our platform,” he said, referring to his Heir Inc. initiative.

In terms of advice, there wasn’t much he saw that they needed guidance in. The way Bronny James and his brother have shielded social pressure was “exciting” for Jeffrey Jordan to witness. All wisdom he gave is for them to be “mindful” and aware of the joys they reap from the game. That comes from his life journey from being a former D1 basketball player to switching professions.

While speaking of Bronny and Bryce, the 35-year-old entrepreneur highlighted something important. He asked them to also be aware “if you’re having enough fun,”. In that vein, Bronny James dedicated his life to basketball with the right purpose. Even though LeBron James proposed his dream of sharing the floor with his son, the USC product didn’t have that aim.

“I would be happy about getting to the league instead of me thinking about playing with my dad”, he told LA Times. With that in mind, he accepted the pressure and allure that comes with pursuing his ambitions. Eventually, his dream, through his striving came to life. Jeffrey Jordan was on the same course, playing college basketball for four years.

However, not only did he take periodic breaks, but he realized his drive never pertained to the sport. He always wanted to carve out a business for himself. With that in mind, his work ethic remained the same. In 2009, while still remaining active in basketball, he interned with Nike. Eventually, in 2012, he left the Central Florida basketball team after just 13 games for “personal reasons”.

He Heir Inc. entrepreneur then focused on his academics, particularly business and entrepreneurship at the university. In the years after, he rose in ranks, working as the lead brand digital innovation for Nike. Along with his friend  Sevan Avakian, he also started a firm – Jordan Avakian Group with the aim of “collaborate, invest, and consult with start-up companies in the sports and entertainment space”.

With their unique cases, both Brony James and Jeffrey Jordan pursued their true calling. The dedication that comes along with it remains the same, but their goals are different.