Bronny James says Lakers-Cavs home game with LeBron was 'really special'

CLEVELAND – Memories of the Old Trail School and a taste of Swensons remind Bronny James that he's back in Northeast Ohio.

When the Los Angeles Lakers take on the Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Wednesday night, the game will be a double homecoming for James and his legendary father, Akron native LeBron James.

The Jameses became the first father-son tandem to play in an NBA game during the Lakers' regular-season opener on Oct. 22 against the Minnesota Timberwolves in LA.

Bronny James hasn't appeared in a game with the Lakers since (3-1), but if all goes as planned, the rookie and his father will be on the court together against the Cavs (4-0). LeBron James did not attend the media-open portion of the Lakers' shootout, but LA indicated he was likely to play with an illness.

“This is going to be really special,” Bronny James said Wednesday afternoon after the Lakers’ shootout. “It feels good to be out here at home with my dad.

“It feels good to be here. It’s nice to slowly live here in Ohio – completely different than LA.”

Bronny James was born at Cuyahoga Falls General Hospital in 2004, a year after the Cavs selected his father first overall out of St. Vincent-St. had selected. Mary High School. The family owns a home in Bath Township and Bronny James attended the Old Trail School as a child.

“I love this school,” said Bronny James, who was drafted by the Lakers in the second round (No. 55 overall) in June. “Old Trail has its own little box and memory in my head, so I’m very grateful to all the teachers who support me.”

Like his father, Bronny James said he feels the need to grab a meal from Swensons when he returns to 330.

“What does he like, a galley boy?” Bronny James, 20, said with a smile. “Yeah, I don’t (order a galley boy). All I get is a double cheeseburger, maybe some broken onion rings, like a Florida or something.”

The downtown Cleveland arena the Cavaliers call home is also familiar. Young Bronny James spent a lot of time there watching 39-year-old LeBron James. Bronny James revealed that he also played pickup basketball on the practice court with other players' children during Cavs games.

Now Bronny James is preparing for a game against the NBA franchise his father won a championship for in 2016.

“I'm pretty sure it would be phenomenal,” Lakers forward Anthony Davis said of the Jameses appearing together on the court in Cleveland. “Bron, two stays here. Bronny essentially grew up playing the game here. (He) was in that arena. You'll see pictures and videos of him shooting from his seat. I’m pretty sure it will be a special moment, similar to the one they experienced in the first game against Minnesota.”

Nate Ulrich can be reached at [email protected]. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply