The Los Angeles Lakers are off to a strong start this season, and while Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves have been grabbing the headlines, the team’s depth continues to deliver when called upon.
One of the more surprising contributors in Sunday’s win over the Miami Heat was Bronny James, who played key minutes down the stretch, and shared a memorable moment with Reaves in the process.
Reaves and Bronny connected on a highlight-reel alley-oop in transition, a play that instantly became one for the history books.
After the game, Reaves couldn’t help but reflect on the significance of it — not just as a basketball play, but as a once-in-a-lifetime connection.
“I’ve got to be the first person in NBA history to throw a father a lob and a son a lob. I don’t know,” Reaves said. “That’s got to be right. … While they’re still on the same team? Y’all want to do all these damn statistics, I’ll do it too. It was cool. I told Bron that as soon as I checked out after that. It was a pretty special moment.”
The 27-year-old guard might be right, few players, if any, have ever shared the floor with both a father and son, let alone assisted them both for alley-oop dunks.
Reaves’ chemistry with LeBron James has been well-documented over the past two seasons, and now, with Bronny carving out minutes under head coach JJ Redick, that connection has taken on an entirely new meaning.
Reaves also praised the rookie for his composure during high-pressure moments against Miami, noting how valuable those minutes will be for his growth.
“I thought he was good. I thought he played really good minutes,” Reaves said. “He was good defensively, did the right things offensively. The more he continues to get those minutes, the better he’ll be. We needed the minutes that he gave us tonight. Looking forward to him continuing to do that.”
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