One of the greatest father-son duos in sports will be at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles for the start of the NBA season.
We’re not talking about LeBron and Bronny James. The Lakers duo is on the verge of making history as one of the few father-son pairings to play in the same game together. While it’s not official until the son of the four-time NBA champion takes the court, the expectations are that Tuesday night’s opener against the Timberwolves will be a memorable one.
The family we’re talking about is the Griffeys.
The Griffeys are baseball royalty. Ken Sr. and Ken Jr. became the first father-son duo to play together on an MLB diamond, which happened back in 1990.
Now, the two are going to be spectators for a similar occasion on Tuesday night when the pair of James family members take the court together to open the 2024-25 Los Angeles season.
Here’s more on the Griffey’s connection to the James family.
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Griffey connection to James family, explained
The Griffey and James families don’t have a clear-cut relationship outside of their statures in sports. However, that isn’t stopping the two baseball legends from supporting the basketball duo.
Both Ken Sr. and Jr. are in Los Angeles for the Lakers-Timberwolves opener on Tuesday night. In an interview with MLB Network’s Jon Morosi on “The Road to Cooperstown” podcast, Griffey Jr. explained that it was important to witness “history” with the James family.
The Griffeys WILL be in attendance when @KingJames & Bronny make history for the @Lakers ⚾️❤️🏀
Junior with @jonmorosi on “The Road to Cooperstown” | @baseballhall
TODAY on the @SIRIUSXM App 🔗 https://t.co/OATuAmgGJY
TUESDAY on all podcast platforms 🔗 https://t.co/xg4XklbbBf pic.twitter.com/ZVxnQfEDkd
— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) October 21, 2024
POSITIONAL RANKINGS: PG | SG | SF | PF | C
“First father and son to play baseball and now first father and son to play basketball,” Griffey Jr. said. “So, it’s a big deal for my dad and I to be there. We made history, now we get to watch history. That’s what’s gonna be cool about it.”
The Griffeys officially showed up to support the James family on Tuesday, with the pair of father-son duos snapping a photo together pregame.
This is AWESOME 🔥 pic.twitter.com/tb8yJQ6fum
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) October 23, 2024
The two Griffeys got the chance to play together for the first time during a game on Aug. 31, 1990, against the Royals. The father and son were teammates for two seasons in 1990 and 1991 when both played for the Mariners.
Bronny and LeBron shared the court together during a 118-114 preseason loss to the Suns earlier in October, however, Tuesday would mark their first chance to get into a regular season game and play on the same side. If they do, they would be the first father and son duo to play in an NBA contest together.
MORE: Is Bronny James playing tonight vs. Timberwolves?
It’s unclear if the younger James member will get into action on Tuesday. It was reported by ESPN’s Brian Windhorst that he expects Bronny to see minutes in the second quarter of the game, if he does play.
