Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James checked into an official NBA game for the first time in the Lakers’ home opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Superstar LeBron James entered the game with his son Bronny by his side, and the pair made history as the first father-son duo to do so. As Hall of Fame center, three-time Lakers champion Shaquille O’Neal watched from his TNT broadcast desk, he delivered an intriguing take after Los Angeles’ 110-103 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday.

During a segment on Inside The NBA, Shaq revealed he’s happy for LeBron and Bronny moment, but now that it’s in the team’s proverbial rearview mirror, it’s time for the work of being a second-round pick to come into play.

“Great moment. Great accomplishment. [I] would have loved to see him play more. Now, this is over, I think he focuses on getting better,” O’Neal said. “He’s not going to be in the starting lineup. [He] probably won’t be in that second lineup. But, if I’m him, I’m working somehow to get some type of rotation. So, I could get some type of flow.”

In many ways, it’s a significant reason the NBA created the G League — it gives players an extended opportunity to develop into their own without forfeiting playing time. Instead of spending the majority of an 82-game season watching from the bench, it keeps the player in a constant rotation for playing time.

“Because of his last name, we want him to be great [but] like LeBron said, there [are] 450 of us. There [are] only a few rookies that have came in and had a great impact immediately,” O’Neal added. “But, knowing the kid a long time. He works hard. He’s willing to learn. So, I wish him well. A great accomplishment for the James family.”

LeBron James gets brutally honest on avoiding Bronny’s debut ‘circus’

Lakers forward LeBron James (23) checks into the game with his son, guard Bronny James (9) during the second quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena. This marked the first time in NBA history that a father and son played together
Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images

Shaquille O'Neal watched Lakers superstar LeBron James and his son, Bronny James, play three minutes together in their NBA debut. After beating the Timberwolves 110-103, LeBron talked about his and Bronny’s mindset ahead of the Lakers’ season opener.

And how he and Bronny tried their best not to make the game about their historic moment in the second quarter, per ClutchPoints’ David Yapkowitz.

“In the moment, we still had a job to do when we checked in,” James said. “We wasn’t trying to make it a circus. We wasn’t trying to make it about us. We wanted to make it about the team, for us to go out there and continue to play the basketball the coaching staff and our teammates want us to play. We kept that the main thing.”

Anthony Davis led with a double-double (36 points, 16 rebounds) and three blocks, LeBron finished with 16 points and five rebounds, and Bronny added one rebound in his three minutes off the bench.