Monday gave the James family a little bit of everything: an official college debut, two NBA box scores, and one viral LeBron moment that had the internet buzzing before the final buzzer even sounded.
The night began with Bryce James, who finally stepped into his first official college basketball game for Arizona against UCLA in the Wildcats’ season opener at T-Mobile Arena. The 19-year-old was in the starting five and wasted no time making his presence felt, opening the game with a no-look assist to Ivan Kharchenkov for the first basket.
That was about as good as it got for Bryce. He finished with zero points on 0-3 shooting, one assist, and played just six minutes in Arizona’s 84-75 loss.
Reserve JJ Mandaquit, meanwhile, logged 32 minutes, and Bryce’s limited role raised eyebrows since there has been no word of an injury. Bryce had redshirted his freshman year at Arizona, a move that was viewed as the right step for his development.
While Bryce was taking his first official college reps, LeBron James was doing his thing for the Philadelphia 76ers in a 126-107 win over the Chicago Bulls at Xfinity Mobile Arena. The 41-year-old posted 15 points on 6-13 shooting, along with seven rebounds, nine assists, and one steal in a solid all-around outing.
The biggest moment of LeBron’s night didn’t show up in the stat sheet. After chasing down a loose ball, he ran into a fan holding a cup of wine, decided to take a sip, and kept it moving. The 22-time All-Star’s quick detour became the kind of clip that takes on a life of its own.
Bronny James had a quieter night with the Los Angeles Lakers, who rolled past the Miami Heat 138-117 at Crypto.com Arena. The 22-year-old came off the bench and finished with two points on 1-1 shooting and one block.
His playing time was limited after he and some other reserves struggled in Sunday’s 131-125 win over the Toronto Raptors, when the Lakers nearly coughed up a double-digit lead late. Bronny only saw one minute against Miami, and he’ll need to win back head coach JJ Redick’s trust before his role grows again.
So if you’re ranking the James family’s Monday performances, LeBron came out on top. Bryce got his long-awaited debut, Bronny chipped in briefly, but the oldest James was the one who looked most impressive on the floor.
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