PALM DESERT, Calif. (AP) — Bronny James is expected to play in his first NBA preseason game Friday night, but LeBron James won’t be in uniform with him when the Lakers host Minnesota in the first of Los Angeles’ two weekend games in the Coachella Valley.
Lakers coach JJ Redick confirmed that LeBron James won’t play with his oldest son against the Timberwolves, but the 39-year-old top scorer in NBA history is likely to play against Phoenix on Sunday — which just happens to be Bronny’s 20th birthday.
Anthony Davis is also sitting out the preseason opener at Acrisure Arena. Both superstars worked out hard during the first three practices of training camp in El Segundo.
“We felt like, given everything they had this summer, and their level of participation over the past three days, it made the most sense for them to get an off day today,” Redick said. “We told them at shootaround to just stay off their feet.”
Redick said Thursday that both LeBron James and Davis will play in at least one game this weekend. Max Christie and Jaxson Hayes started in the superstars’ place against Minnesota alongside D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura and Austin Reaves.
Friday’s crowd from the Palm Springs metropolitan area didn’t seem disappointed as it poured into the 22-month-old arena that serves at the home of the American Hockey League’s Coachella Valley Firebirds. Hundreds of fans in gold Lakers jerseys representing everyone from James to George Mikan rushed into the building and down the stairs in the lower bowl for an up-close look at the pregame warmups.
“The beautiful thing about the Lakers is that we have fans all over the world,” Redick said. “The desert over here is an extension, I think in some ways, of our fan base in LA. It’s a great opportunity for our group to play in front of these fans tonight.”
James and Davis are sitting out the first of the Lakers’ six preseason games as they ease back into competition after a busy summer. LeBron and Davis were both on the U.S. team that won a gold medal at the Paris Olympics.
Bronny James was the Lakers’ second-round draft pick, and he played for the team in summer league competition in Las Vegas. The 6-foot-2 guard is expected to play for the Lakers in the preseason before spending a significant portion of the upcoming season with the G League’s South Bay Lakers.
“Of course there’s nerves,” Bronny said after the Lakers’ pregame shootaround. “But I’m just excited to go out there and learn from the people playing in front of me, and if I get a chance to showcase what I can do, I’m going to do that.”
The game against Minnesota is also the coaching debut of Redick, the 40-year-old former player who was general manager Rob Pelinka’s surprising choice to replace Darvin Ham after the Lakers exited in the first round of last season’s playoffs. Redick had never coached at any level — except his children’s youth teams — before getting the job.
“The anxiety that people may assume I’m having is around how my team is going to perform,” Redick said. “I think we’ve mentioned the word ‘preparation,’ and once you’ve invested a lot in preparation, you just have to accept that, and then it becomes, ‘I want to see how my team does against another team.’
“I’ve given myself some grace in terms of some nuanced stuff. I’m trying to get the challenge out of the way right away, maybe the second play of the game. I’m not going to be perfect. I think the preparation and attempt to get buy-in from my guys is the focus.”
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