“You feel the intensity, right?” LeBron said. “But just play it lighthearted. Don’t worry about mistakes. Go out there and play hard.”

Los Angeles led by 16 points when Bronny entered the game. He completed 2:41 before returning to the bench, a effort that satiated the crowd, put a big check mark on rookie coach JJ Redick’s to-do list and nearly made for an iconic moment.

Unfortunately, Bronny missed an open three-pointer from the left wing after a clear pass from his Pops. As for the box score, Bronny finished 0-for-2 from the floor with one offensive rebound and a minus-five rating, but details were few and far between with LeBron.

“I will never forget that, no matter how old I get or how much my memory fades,” he said. “Everything was just great today. Everything.”

Bronny agreed.

“Going to the scorer’s table with my dad and checking in for the first time – that’s a crazy moment that I’ll never forget,” he said.

Fellow LA rookie Dalton Knecht, a first-rounder from Tennessee, played 16 minutes on Thursday, the second-most among the Lakers’ reserves.

O’Neal’s TNT colleague Charles Barkley spent much more personal time analyzing Knecht’s contributions than Bronny’s, a trend that will likely continue this season.

Bronny averaged 1.6 points and 1.2 rebounds in the preseason while shooting just 20% from the floor, suggesting he has some season experience ahead with the South Bay Lakers in the NBA G League.

Bronny was just months away from his 6th birthday when LeBron announced he was taking his talents to South Beach. Tuesday offered a remarkable turning point.

“I’ve lost a lot of time because of this league,” said LeBron, “I’m committed to this league, I’m on the road… to have this moment where I’m still working and with whom I can work together.” My son – it’s one of the greatest gifts I have ever received from the man upstairs. I’ll take full advantage of it.”