Lakers‘ Reaves Makes NBA History with Alley-Oop to LeBron and Bronny James
LOS ANGELES – In a historic moment during the Los Angeles Lakers’ 130-120 victory over the Miami Heat on Sunday,Austin Reaves became the first player in NBA history since 2000 to throw alley-oop dunks to both a father and his son. Reaves connected with LeBron James for a highlight-reel play, then repeated the feat with LeBron’s son, Bronny James, marking Bronny’s only points of the game.
The accomplishment solidifies Reaves’ unique place in NBA lore and underscores the ongoing, unprecedented journey of the James family on the court. while father-son duos have shared the NBA hardwood before, Reaves is the first player in the last quarter-century to assist on alley-oop dunks to both members of the same family, a testament to the evolving dynamics within the league and the enduring legacy of LeBron James.
Reaves joked after the game about the rarity of the moment. “I’ve got to be the first person in NBA history to throw a father a lob and a son a lob.I don’t know. Got to be, right? While they’re still on the same team,” he said. The Elias Sports Bureau confirmed reaves’ claim, stating he is indeed the only player to achieve this over the past 25 years.
The Lakers posted a clip of Reaves’ earlier alley-oop to LeBron on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, mirroring a similar play from a previous game.
Lob it up to a James, Austin knows what will happen. https://t.co/O6Fb2dBuve
- Los angeles Lakers (@Lakers) November 3, 2025
Bronny James finished with three steals and two assists in 18 minutes of play. Last season, LeBron and Bronny made history as the first father-son duo to play in an NBA game together.
The Lakers’ win was led by Luka Doncic’s 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. Reaves added that he simply told LeBron the moment was “cool” and “checked out after that. It was a pretty special moment.”
