Austin Reaves was streaking down the court before he floated a high-arching lob that a player with the last name James thundered home for an alley oop.
Only, it wasn’t Los Angeles Lakers icon LeBron James, who remains sidelined with sciatica, but his son, Bronny James.
The play came in the 43-point first quarter of L.A.’s eventual 130-120 victory on Sunday, Nov. 2 over the Miami Heat and marked the first points of the season for a member of the James family.
And for Reaves, it might represent another first.
“I’ve got to be the first person in NBA history to throw a father a lob and the son a lob. I don’t know. It’s got to be, right?” Reaves told reporters after the game. “While they’re still on the same team? Y’all want to do all these damn statistics, I want to do it, too.”
LeBron, who has taken his regular spot at the end of the bench during Lakers games as he recovers from his injury, got out of his seat and celebrated the play, clapping and gesturing afterward.
Last season, LeBron and Bronny became the first father-son duo to ever play in the same NBA game.
Bronny James, 21, has struggled from the floor to start his second season in the NBA. He’s now shooting just 14.3%, missing six of his seven attempts.
Reaves, on the other hand, has been exceptional in LeBron James’ absence, picking up an increased offensive load; he’s averaging 31.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 9.3 assists per game, while shooting 48.9% from the field.
The Lakers are 5-2 and in third place in the Western Conference.
