On the same day LeBron and Bronny James were making history in Los Angeles, the Lakers teammates were reportedly being sued over a 2022 traffic collision in California.
TMZ has reportedly obtained the lawsuit filed on behalf of April Almanza Lopez and Kiara Rae McGillen, who claim their vehicle was slammed into by another car being driven by LeBron and Bronny in Los Angeles County. The pair claims they still require medical treatment following the wreck and their car was damaged, resulting in its decrease in value.
The two are suing for unspecified damages, according to TMZ.
Currently there is no such filing listed on Los Angeles County’s civil court website.
LeBron and Bronny were primarily making news on the basketball court Tuesday, where the Lakers beat the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves in the younger James’ NBA debut.
Bronny played less than three minutes and failed to score while recording one offensive rebound.
He did receive a standing ovation, nonetheless, while entering the game alongside his father in the second quarter.
Only before their boisterous welcome, the pair shared a candid moment on the bench as young Bronny waited to make his NBA debut.
‘Y’all ready?’ LeBron, 39, is heard asking his 20-year-old son before they checked into the game in the second quarter.
‘You see the intensity, right?’ LeBron continued, as heard by TNT’s microphones. ‘Just play care free though. Don’t worry about mistakes. Just go out and play hard.’
The elder James had started the game and was already well into his 22nd NBA season by the time young Bronny was ready to hit the floor. But while sitting alongside his son on the bench, LeBron had clearly shifted into ‘dad’ mode.
Bronny wasn’t on mic, but appeared to answer ‘yup’ to everything his father tossed his way.
Although the Lakers were cruising over the Timberwolves when the James gang checked in, Bronny struggled somewhat, missing a 3-point attempt and having a tip-in deflected by former Defensive Player of the Year, Rudy Gobert.
The 6-foot-2 Bronny soon checked out of the game with the Lakers having been outscored by five points during his three minutes on the floor.
Afterwards, TNT Sports interviewed both Bronny and LeBron.
‘I’m just extremely grateful for everything,’ Bronny said of his debut. ‘I was given an amazing opportunity to come into this league and get better every day and learn every day.’
But nobody was happier than LeBron, who finally got to work with his son after spending so many years away from him on the road.
‘It’s family,’ LeBron told TNT. ‘It’s always been family over everything. For me, I lost a lot of time because of this league, committing to this league, being on the road at times, missing a lot of his things, Bryce’s things, Zhuri’s things.
‘So to be able to have this moment, where I’m working still, and I can work alongside my son, it’s one of the greatest gifts I’ve ever gotten from the man above and I’m gonna take full advantage of it.’
Asked what he wants Bronny to remember, LeBron stressed the privilege of playing in the NBA.
‘This is not promised every day that you get an opportunity to play in this beautiful league,’ he said alongside his son. ‘There’s only 450 of us. Understand it’s not given to you. You got to earn every moment. He knows that and he’s looking forward to the process of getting better and better every single day to be the player he ultimately wants to be.
‘I’m super proud of him. He’s my lifeline, that’s for sure.’
