As Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James and son Bronny seek to make history Tuesday night by becoming the first father-son duo to play together in a regular season NBA game, they’ll be joined in Crypto.com Arena by some baseball royalty.
Appearing on “The Road to Cooperstown” podcast, Hall of Fame baseball player Ken Griffey Jr. said he plans to attend the game with his father in the hopes of witnessing the James duo make the same history that the Griffeys did in 1990.
In August of that year, as members of the Seattle Mariners, Griffey Sr. and Griffey Jr. became the first father and son to play in the same MLB game.
“First father and son to play baseball, now first father and son to play basketball. So it’s a big deal for my dad and I to be there,” Griffey told host Jon Paul Morosi.
“We made history, now we get to watch history. So that’s what’s going to be cool about it.”
Speaking to the media on Monday, Bronny James was humbled to hear that the Griffeys would be on hand to see his potential NBA debut, though he admitted he’s not sure if first-year coach JJ Redick plans to play him in the Lakers’ season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“That’s going to be insane,” James said. “Only two families to do it so, I mean, it’s going to be a crazy experience – especially with what they’ve done.”
The younger James is seemingly forgetting hockey’s legendary Gordy Howe, who actually played in NHL games with two sons, Mark and Marty. But Bronny can be forgiven for his oversight, as the Howes’ incredible feat happened several years before even his dad LeBron was born.
Earlier in October, LeBron and Bronny played together on court at the same time – though that was in the preseason – against the Phoenix Suns at the start of the second quarter in a game the Lakers would lose 118-114.
After that game, LeBron said: “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.”
The Lakers host the Timberwolves Tuesday night at 7 p.m. PT.