Just last week, LeBron James delivered a perfect pass to his eldest son to set an NBA record for the first father-son assist. Against the Dallas Mavericks, it was time for Bronny James to return the favor, but he fell short of his father’s expectations. The broadcast caught that moment, and here is what transpired.

With season ending injury to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, Bronny James saw extended minutes off the bench in Sunday night’s matchup against the Mavs. It was the moment in the third quarter that went viral. With just over five minutes remaining and the Lakers trailing by eight. Bronny had a pass to his father tipped out of bounds, which led to an annoyed reaction from LeBron.

Even one of the broadcasters narrated the incident. “On the floor together, Bronny to LeBron, and kind of looks at his son and says, ‘give me a bounce pass.’ I love that look, because that look was not just LeBron the veteran, but also LeBron the dad.”

LeBron James’ reaction made it clear that he was expecting a bounce pass instead of a chest pass. Despite the small error, Bronny James responded sharply after, knocking down a corner three-pointer later in the quarter. This definitely pleased his father. The wrong read of the pass can stem from his limited opportunity on the hardwood in the NBA.

Over the last five games, he averages 4.6 points, 0.6 assists, and 0.6 steals in 13.6 minutes of action. The 6’2 guard is shooting 37.5 percent from the field and 27.3 percent on his 3-point attempts. Clearly, the second-year guard has more in his locker, which he has shown during his G-League stint. For South Bay, LeBron James’ son is averaging 15.6 points in 14 games at 56% shooting from FG and even more impressive 45.6% from beyond the arc. These numbers can’t directly be compared to an NBA game.

But this proves the capabilities that Bronny James has in his locker once he gets significant minutes on the court. Because on Sunday, he again only got 9 minutes of action as he ended the night with five points and one assist as the Lakers fell 134-128.

LeBron James and his purpose with Bronny James

In the previous game against the Thunder, the 21-year-old found extended minutes from the bench as he played on the hardwood for 18 minutes. The result was that Bronny scored 10 points, his first double-digit scoring game since February 10th against the Spurs, where he was guarding Victor Wembanyama and scored 12 points.

These minutes in the league under JJ Redick haven’t gone unnoticed. The second-year guard is fortunate for any opening that comes his way. “I think I learned a lot,” Bronny James told the Southern California News Group. “Just trying to not play with the ball as much; get my team into whatever action we are in as quick as possible. We just need to take care of the ball better.”

While Bronny is growing and learning from his own experiences, his father wants to set the right example. “I have an even more of a purpose to show up to work, to work out to train because I know he’s looking like, okay,’ That’s how you be a professional right there.’ So, I have a responsibility with him around,” James said about not cheating the game and leading by example on the Bob Does Sports YouTube channel.