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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MARCH 27: Bronny James #9 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts against the Chicago Bulls during the second half at the United Center on March 27, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
There are some things that do not change, no matter how old LeBron James gets. The Los Angeles Lakers star returned from a three-game absence on Thursday night against the Chicago Bulls, having sat out with a combination of hip, foot, and elbow complaints. He was 41 years old. He was coming off an injury. And he still found a way to throw down a dunk that had the bench on its feet.
That was enough for one person on the Lakers bench to lose it completely. As LeBron James rose up and flushed it home, cameras caught Bronny James watching from the sideline, flashing both hands to show the number 41. Whether it was aimed at the Bulls players, the Bulls bench, or his own father, nobody could say for certain. Either way, the moment spread quickly across social media, and the reactions came fast.
Lakers All Day Everyday
BRONNY REMINDED THE BULLS HOW OLD HIS DAD IS AFTER THE DUNK 😂
Bronny James Gives His Dad the Treatment
lebron james
GettyLeBron and Bronny James of the Los Angeles Lakers.
This is not the first time the younger James has let the internet in on the joke. Last year, Bronny went viral after his reaction to LeBron posterizing Mark Williams of the Hornets circulated widely across social media. There is something about watching your 41-year-old father still do that at this stage of his career that apparently never gets old.
For the record, LeBron was not exactly quiet against the Bulls either. He finished with 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting, seven assists, seven rebounds, two steals, and a block in 33 minutes. Efficient, composed, and exactly what the Lakers needed from him in a supporting role on a night when Luka Doncic set a new Lakers career-high with 51 points. Austin Reaves chipped in 30, and Deandre Ayton was a force inside with 23 points and 10 rebounds, his twentieth double-double of the season. Los Angeles won 142-130 to move to 41-25 on the year.
Lakers’ LeBron Continues to Rewrite the Record Books
GettyLeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers.
James is having one of the more quietly remarkable seasons in NBA history. Earlier this week, he surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most field goals made in league history, adding another line to a record book he has been rewriting for over two decades. That is what makes the Bronny moment land differently. It is funny, but it is also a fair reaction. The man is 41 and posting those numbers.
Bronny himself did not play against the Bulls, having suited up for the South Bay Lakers in a G League game the night before. His development has quietly become one of the more encouraging storylines of the Lakers’ season, and his bench energy has become a genuine talking point.
SportsCenter
The King adds another accolade to the throne 👑
LeBron James has passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most made field goals in NBA history 🔥
Final Word for the Lakers
The Lakers beat the Bulls. Doncic dropped 51. LeBron dunked at 41. And somewhere on the bench, his son held up two hands and let the moment speak for itself.
Up next for Los Angeles is a Saturday night matchup with Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. The Lakers sit half a game ahead of both Denver and the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference. LeBron’s availability, as always, will be worth watching.
Some things, though, feel like they are never going to stop. The dunks. The records. The reactions from the bench. That is the Lakers right now, and 41 years old has never looked quite like this.