LeBron and Bronny James sued in California over 2022 car crash on same day as latter's NBA debut

LITTLEROCK, CALIFORNIA: LeBron and Bronny James made headlines for a historic moment on the basketball court, but their day in the spotlight also came with a legal shadow.

On the same day as Bronny’s NBA debut with the Los Angeles Lakers, the father-son duo was reportedly named in a lawsuit related to a 2022 traffic collision in California.

Lawsuit against LeBron James and Bronny James seeks unspecified damages

A lawsuit was filed on behalf of April Almanza Lopez and Kiara Rae McGillen following a car crash in Littlerock in 2022, according to TMZ, 

They claimed that their vehicle was struck by another car allegedly driven by LeBron and Bronny in Los Angeles County.

The women also claimed they were injured, required medical attention, and their car was damaged in the crash on November 13, 2022, as per Fox 11.

The plaintiffs alleged that the crash caused lasting injuries requiring ongoing medical treatment and also diminished the value of their vehicle.

The lawsuit is seeking unspecified damages, as per reports. 

According to reports, LeBron James' attorneys declined to comment to the Daily Mail, stating they had not yet received the legal filing.

Currently, no such case appears on the Los Angeles County civil court website.

Bronny James receives standing ovation in NBA debut alongside LeBron James

Amid the legal issues, LeBron James and Bronny James were in the spotlight for a much more celebratory reason.

Bronny, 20, made his highly anticipated NBA debut alongside his father as the Los Angeles Lakers hosted the Minnesota Timberwolves.

LeBron James kicked off his 22nd NBA season with a strong performance, scoring 16 points on 7-of-16 shooting, along with five rebounds, four assists, and two blocks.

The Los Angeles Lakers secured a 110-103 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves, marking their first season-opening win since 2016, as per Newsweek.

Though he played only three minutes without scoring and recorded just one offensive rebound, Bronny received a standing ovation from the home crowd when he entered the game in the second quarter.

In a touching moment before they checked into the game, LeBron, 39, reportedly offered some advice to his son from the bench.

"Y'all ready?" he asked, followed by, "You see the intensity, right? Just play carefree though. Don't worry about mistakes. Just go out and play hard," as captured by TNT microphones. Bronny, not on the mic, appeared to quietly absorb his father's words.

Although the Lakers were comfortably ahead when the James duo took the court, Bronny faced a challenging debut. His three-point attempt missed, and a tip-in effort was deflected by the towering Rudy Gobert, a former Defensive Player of the Year.

By the time he was substituted out, the Lakers had been outscored by five points during his brief time on the floor.

Following the game, both LeBron and Bronny were interviewed by TNT Sports.

Bronny James 'extremely grateful' for his NBA debut 

Reflecting on his debut, Bronny James expressed gratitude for the opportunity, stating, "I'm just extremely grateful for everything. I was given an amazing opportunity to come into this league and get better every day and learn every day."

LeBron, beaming with pride, emphasized the importance of family over everything. "It's always been family over everything," he said.

"For me, I lost a lot of time because of this league, committing to this league, being on the road at times, missing a lot of his things, Bryce's things, Zhuri's things. So to be able to have this moment, where I'm working still, and I can work alongside my son, it's one of the greatest gifts I've ever gotten from the man above and I'm gonna take full advantage of it," he added.

When asked what message he wanted Bronny to take away from his NBA journey, LeBron emphasized the importance of hard work and seizing opportunities.

"This is not promised every day that you get an opportunity to play in this beautiful league," LeBron remarked. "There's only 450 of us. Understand it's not given to you. You got to earn every moment. He knows that and he's looking forward to the process of getting better and better every single day to be the player he ultimately wants to be."

LeBron, emotional about the milestone, concluded with a heartfelt sentiment: "I'm super proud of him. He's my lifeline, that's for sure."