Bronny James played 16 minutes in his preseason debut and finished with 2 points, 1 assist, 1 rebound and 3 blocked shots.

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PALM DESERT, California (AP) — Bronny James played in his first NBA preseason game Friday night, but LeBron James was not in uniform with him when the Lakers hosted Minnesota in the first of Los Angeles’ two weekend games in the Coachella Valley.

Lakers coach JJ Redick opted to hold out LeBron James against the Timberwolves after three tough days of training camp, but the 39-year-old leading scorer in NBA history is likely to play Sunday against Phoenix — which happens to be Bronny’s 20th birthday . .

Bronny James finished with two points in the Lakers’ 124-107 loss to the Timberwolves, missing his first five shots before making a layup with 56.9 seconds to play. But the 6-foot-1 guard also blocked three shots, and he grabbed one rebound and one assist while playing the first half of the second quarter and most of the fourth, finishing with 16 minutes of action.

Bronny James strong drive to the cup for his first #NBAPreseason points!

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— NBA (@NBA) October 5, 2024

“I liked what I saw from Bronny,” Redick said. “Honestly, he’s so easy to coach, and he’s got a great soul and great energy. I like being around him. I’m rooting for him. He is a good player who we would like to have in our program.”

Bronny James did not speak to reporters after his debut.

Before they become the first father and son to play in the same NBA game, Bronny James knows he has a lot of work to do. He got his first chance to play in Lakers gold when he took the floor to start the second quarter at Acrisure Arena outside Palm Springs.

Playing alongside starting Lakers point guard D’Angelo Russell, Bronny was caught on a pick on his first defensive possession, allowing Rob Dillingham to hit an open 3-pointer. Bronny’s pass was then intercepted by Nickeil Alexander-Walker at the other end, but Bronny rushed back and blocked his layup attempt.

“He can do some things defensively at his size that are really unique, and he can, I think, develop into a really disruptive defender, and that manifested itself,” Redick said. “On the offensive side, he’s still figuring out who he is, and that’s our job as a player development program to build him up.”

Bronny missed all three of his shots during his first six minutes of action, including a three-pointer. He got an assist when he found Rui Hachimura for a three-pointer from the corner on a fast break.

Bronny returned to start the fourth quarter, missed a jumper and had a layup attempt blocked. In the final minute, he took a pass from fellow rookie Dalton Knecht and made a layup over a defender for his first points.

Redick said Bronny earned playing time in the Lakers’ preseason opener with three strong performances in practice this week.

LeBron seemed to consciously keep his distance from Bronny during the game, allowing his eldest son to focus on his work. But LeBron spoke at length with Bronny during a timeout midway through the second quarter, explaining with hand gestures as Bronny nodded.

Bronny James was the Lakers’ second-round draft pick and he played in the summer league in Las Vegas. He is expected to play for the Lakers in the preseason before spending a significant portion of the upcoming regular season with the South Bay Lakers of the G League.

“Obviously there are nerves,” Bronny said after the Lakers’ pregame shooting. “But I’m just excited to get out there and learn from the people who play for me, and if I get a chance to show what I can do, I will.”

As is typical for inactive players, LeBron largely stayed away from the Lakers’ huddles. He was mostly on the edge during timeouts with Anthony Davis, who also sat out the preseason opener. Both superstars have been to training camp in El Segundo.

“We felt like with everything they had this summer and their participation over the last three days, it made the most sense for them to get the day off today,” Redick said. “We told them during the shooting to just keep their guard up.”

Redick said Thursday that both LeBron James and Davis will play in at least one game this weekend.

James and Davis will sit out the first of the Lakers’ six games as they return to competition after a busy summer. LeBron and Davis were both on the U.S. team that won a gold medal at the Paris Olympics, and they walked to midfield just before tipoff to greet Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards, their Olympic teammate.

Friday’s crowd didn’t seem disappointed as it filed into the 22-month-old arena that serves as 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 into the lower bowl to watch the pre-game warmups up close.

“The great thing about the Lakers is we have fans all over the world,” Redick said. “The desert here, I think, is in some ways an extension of our fan base in LA. It’s a great opportunity for our group to play in front of these fans tonight.”