LeBron James shares the spotlight with Bronny on Lakers’ premiere night

Melissa Rohlin

FOX Sports NBA Writer

It was an emotional Saturday for LeBron James.

His son — LeBron James Jr., known as Bronny — announced on Instagram that he committed to playing his college ball at USChours before Los Angeles Lakers will defeat golden empire warriors 127-97 in Game 3 of their Western Conference semifinal series.

For James, who went straight from St. Vincent-St. Mary came to the NBA when he was 18, which means Bronny will be a pioneer about to achieve something deeply meaningful to his family.

“Unless it’s one of my grandmothers or great-grandfathers or someone ahead of my time, to my knowledge, this is the first of the James gang to go to college,” James said. “Obviously his father didn’t go to school. His mother didn’t go to college.”

In fact, James notes that his mother Gloria gave birth to him at the age of 16 which likely prevented her from going to college.

“I think my mom might step onto campus for a bit, maybe a community college or something,” James said. “But she let my little ass run around, so she couldn’t spend a lot of time in class at 19. She couldn’t do that. I was 3 years old. So it was very, very, very, very exciting. Very humbling. And a great moment for our family.”

James, who has long said his goal is to play with his son in the NBA, is now one step closer to realizing his dream.

But the celebration surrounding Bronny’s decision has had to wait. First, he had to face the defending champions, who had beaten his team by 27 points just two days earlier, on the evening of the series by a score of 1-1.

James took a beat to find his rhythm on Saturday. Perhaps he was distracted by the much-anticipated news of his eldest child. Maybe he’s shaking off the hangover from the excitement. In the first quarter, he didn’t score a single goal. In fact, there were no shots.

But now, he finally has a team equipped to shoulder some of the burden.

D’Angelo Russell won 13 points in the first quarter when shooting 5 to 7, won 3 to 4 from outside the arc. Anthony Davis added eight of his last 25 points in that span. It means James does not need to press. He can allow the game to come to him.

And, of course, it did.

James went on to finish with 21 points shooting 6 to 11, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, one save and no spins.

He drives into the basket forcefully, cutting the defenders apart. He made two 3-pointers. He played tenacious defensively, even at times blocking and blocking the opponent’s pass. Andrew Wiggins with such a rush and force that he had to jump over the heads of nearby fans and sprint up several stairs before he could brake his 250-pound frame.

Lakers coach Darvin Ham said: “You see a guy like that in Year 20, obviously you know, the first ballot of the Hall of Famer, the top five dead or alive who played in the NBA. . “To see him do the little things, just he’s screening, he’s speeding up, finding teammates, defending, counter-attacking, it just makes it easier for others to do it.”

James’ intensity helped turn the game around for the Lakers.

After the Warriors took an early 11-point lead, the Lakers held them back with just 18 points in the second half, using a 22-2 scoreline to end the game.

What happened Saturday was the difference for James, Davis and the Lakers this season. After getting five new players on the trade deadline, they don’t have to worry about trying to take on the full load, the whole game

The Lakers have depth. On any given night, Russell can make a series of 3-pointers, Austin Reaves may catch fire or Jarred Vanderbilt may get hot.

It has allowed James to play his game.

“For me, I was never a ‘forced’ guy,” James said. “I’ve always been the one to let the game come to me and make my mark when needed.”

Now, the Lakers are leading the series 2-1 with Game 4 set for Monday. In a series that featured one close and two endgames, this was the final game between some of the biggest superstars in the league. Warriors will make adjustments. The Lakers will try to anticipate them.

James knows what will happen next.

But even as he is focused on trying to win his fifth title, he still can’t help but take a moment to celebrate his incredible personal victory for his family.

“I’m proud of him,” James said of Bronny, who is considered one of the top five-point defenders in the country. “This is an unbelievable thing.”

Bronny sat in court on Saturday, cheering for his father.

If all goes according to James’s plan, it won’t be long before they’ll be wearing the same uniform, surrounded by 19,000 fans cheering for them.

Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She has previously covered the tournament for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.

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