If LeBron James Sr. and his son, Bronny, make NBA history Tuesday night by playing in the same game for the Los Angeles Lakers, Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. will be there to witness it.

The first father-son duo to play together in Major League Baseball plans to be in attendance at the Lakers’ season opener in their downtown arena, where the entire crowd will be hoping the James family accomplishes the same rare sporting feat for the NBA.

“First father and son to play baseball, (and) now the first father and son to play basketball,” the younger Griffey told MLB Network Radio. “It’s a big deal for my dad and I to be there. We made history. Now we get to watch history, so that’s what’s going to be cool about it.”

Bronny James is already excited to make his official NBA debut, but the Griffeys’ presence adds an extra layer of anticipation for the Lakers’ second-round pick.

“Yeah, it’s gonna be insane,” the 20-year-old Bronny said after practice Monday at the Lakers’ training complex. “I mean, only two families to do it, so it’s going to be a crazy experience, especially (with) what they’ve done.”

Bronny made it clear that he doesn’t know if he’ll actually get to play against the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Lakers coach JJ Redick said “nothing has been finalized or anything” about Los Angeles’ playing rotation.

Yet it seems unlikely the Lakers will wait to make the moment of history they’ve been planning ever since the franchise chose Bronny with the 55th overall pick this summer to play with LeBron, the 39-year-old top scorer in NBA history. The father and son already played together in the preseason, first taking the court together outside Palm Springs earlier this month.

A father and son play together roughly once in a generation in North American professional sports. The Griffeys accomplished the feat in 1990 and 1991, playing in 51 games for the Seattle Mariners — and even homering in the same game on Sept. 14, 1990.

Tim Raines and his namesake son also played four games together for the Baltimore Orioles at the end of the 2001 season. Before that, Gordie Howe suited up with his sons Mark and Marty in the WHA and the NHL and for Team Canada in the 1970s.

LeBron and Bronny share court for 1st time in preseason | The Facility

Bronny grew up in his father’s locker rooms and arenas in Cleveland, Miami and Los Angeles, so he’s more than ready to get beyond the historic moment and into the day-to-day grind of becoming a contributing NBA player. The Lakers begin the season with three home games in five days.

“I think it will be different,” Bronny said of the opener. “No different than me getting ready for any other game, but just a feeling of being in our home arena for the first time and playing a game will be a special experience. … I’m just trying to come in and get better every day, learn from the guys that have been here before me. Just take it all in and enjoy the experience.”

Bronny played in all six of the Lakers’ preseason games, but his 4.2 points per game average was boosted greatly by his 17-point performance in last week’s preseason finale in which the Lakers and Warriors both rested most of their key players.

Bronny hit 29.7% of his shots in the preseason while averaging 1.7 rebounds and 0.3 assists, playing 16.2 minutes per game. His defensive work was praised by Redick, who sees the 6-foot-2 guard becoming a solid perimeter player in the future.

“Had some bad games, some rough starts, so (I’ve been) just continuing to play my game and play hard,” Bronny said.

Bronny isn’t expected to be an immediate rotation player for the Lakers, who already have D’Angelo Russell, Gabe Vincent and 2023 first-round pick Jalen Hood-Schifino ahead of him at point guard. There’s a good chance Bronny will begin the season with the Lakers before heading to the G League to get the consistent playing time he probably needs to improve.

But he’s still thrilled to reach this milestone moment — and he’s even pretty sure what he’ll call his father on the court after LeBron prohibited him from using “Dad.”

“Probably Bron,” Bronny said with a smile. “That will probably be the easiest one.”

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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England midfielder Grace Clinton said it was “a bit unsettling” not knowing which club she would play for this season, but now feels “really positive” after carrying her impressive form back to Manchester United.

The 21-year-old spent last season on loan at Tottenham Hotspur where she thrived and was named PFA Young Player of the Year.

She returned to United in the summer amid transfer speculation, but has scored three goals in four matches.

“Towards the back end of last season there was a lot on my mind,” said Clinton, when asked about the uncertainty during the transfer window.

“It isn’t a nice feeling not knowing where you are going to be and what is going to happen. It’s a bit unsettling.

“But going into the season now, United were keen on me staying so that’s been a lot better for me mentally I would say.”

Clinton has been a key player for Manchester United at the start of the season and hopes to cement a place in England’s starting XI for this month’s friendlies with Germany and South Africa.

“I’m feeling really good and really positive on the pitch,” she added.

“Every time you step on to the pitch you want to impact the game positively and get goals and assists. No matter who I play for I want to do that.”

The magic ran out, but the movement has just begun.

It’s different for the New York Mets to say the season didn’t end in a total collapse with players and staff alike proud of what they delivered across 175 games — and for the fan base to be right there with them, believing it. 

After all, the 2024 Mets advanced to the playoffs for the first time in eight years and vanquished the Braves, the Brewers, and the Phillies on the way. They took the superteam Dodgers to Game 6 of the National League Championship Series, despite projection systems giving them a 5% chance to win the NLDS, let alone come within two wins of the World Series.

Once their unexpected and iconic season finally ended in Los Angeles on Sunday night, there remained a handful of legitimate reasons for the Mets to look ahead with optimism and hope. Let’s take a moment to examine how this season’s heroics have set the Mets up to be consistent contenders, with a new standard for success to achieve annually. 

1. Mark Vientos is a ‘bona fide big-leaguer’

That’s how first baseman Pete Alonso described the 24-year-old Vientos, who was left off the Opening Day roster and fought his way to the starting third base job by the middle of May. Once Vientos was in the majors for good this year, he never let his OPS drop under .837 across 111 regular-season games. He was solid on defense at a tough position in which he had only 21 games of MLB experience before this year. Then he raised his own level this October, crushing five home runs, collecting 24 RBIs, batting .327 and posting a .998 OPS across 13 playoff games. 

“When I’m talking about some of our younger players and the way they develop, he’s right there at the top,” manager Carlos Mendoz told reporters of Vientos in Los Angeles on Sunday. “It wasn’t easy for him. Had to fight for an opportunity. He finally got it and ran with it. And when you look at the numbers in the regular season, he’s a big part, a big reason why we got to this point and then the playoffs.” 

Vientos, a couple of years removed from his September 2022 MLB debut, exceeded expectations with his consistency this year. The Plantation, Fla. product showed the kind of makeup and put on the type of performance that a front office can start building around. Whether the powers that be will decide Vientos’ future is at third base largely depends on if the Mets can strike a deal with Alonso, who is imminently approaching free agency. 

But regardless of Vientos’ infield position, the Mets should not hesitate to take a page from their Atlanta division rivals and lock him up to a long-term deal. In the span of a season, Vientos’ outlook went from let’s see what he can provide, to genuine excitement for the foreseeable future.

2. Money — lots of money — is coming off the books, and the farm is sprouting

Last winter, the Mets gambled on one-year deals for Sean Manaea and Luis Serverino, both of whom became essential pieces in their deep playoff run. Now, New York is in a good position where both starters would love to come back, and there is an intriguing top free-agent arm in Corbin Burnes to consider adding to the rotation. Pitchers who are on the books for 2025 include: Kodai Senga, David Peterson, Tylor Megill, Paul Blackburn, and Jose Butto.

Plus, the Mets will have more financial wiggle room with a ton of money coming off the books. Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer were owed over $57 million combined in 2024 and that will no longer be the case next year. The Mets finished this season with an estimated $336 million payroll, and that number is expected to be slashed to around $170 million heading into next month’s free agency, per FanGraphs.

But the organization’s long-term goal has always been to build a sustainable contender through critical free-agent pickups as well as farm-system development. We saw some of that vision come to fruition this year, thanks to Luisangel Acuña’s encouraging MLB debut and Vientos’ noted ascension. Next year, New York’s top pitching prospect Brandon Sproat should be in the mix as a possible rotation addition, as well as potential roster upgrades from top infielders Ronny Mauricio and Jett Williams and top outfield prospect Drew Gilbert.

As Francisco Lindor said Sunday, “There’s something special going on here.”

This year’s roster provided a taste of how far the organization can go when blending core veterans (Lindor, Brandon Nimmo, Edwin Diaz and Starling Marte) with up-and-coming youngsters (Francisco Alvarez, Vientos and Acuńa). That concept should be back in play for years to come for these Mets.

3. The new regime is in sync

The trifecta of owner Steve Cohen, new president of baseball operations David Stearns and first-year manager Mendoza formed an excellent, stable foundation for the organization to continue building off of. Cohen got more involved in the day-to-day, becoming more visible and approachable to his staff members and players. Stearns did what he does best, stuffing the Mets roster on the margins with savvy moves and setting up the runway that allowed the team to finish two wins away from the World Series. Mendoza’s calm and well-balanced attitude, particularly in times of deep distress and ultimate highs, formed a sense of fearlessness within the clubhouse. 

In the end, it all led to respect. The Mets this season became a normal organization — a place that free-agent players would love to come play for — maybe Juan Soto? — especially those who have something to prove; a family that doesn’t just mind a little fun, but will lean into the eccentricities that allow people to be themselves and push their efforts to the ultimate limit; and a team that won’t dwell in the basement, but will fight its way out because the benchmark is a championship.  

There is legitimate trust and a complete buy-in from players and staff members who operate under Cohen, Stearns and Mendoza. Those three leaders made it not only believable that the Mets’ success can be sustainable, but they will make sure of it. The Mets have made the postseason in back-to-back years just twice (1999-2000, 2015-2016) in the franchise’s history. The new regime has made it possible to consider, for perhaps the first time ever, that the Mets can commit to doing what they did this year on an annual basis. 

“I just told the guys how proud I was because, not only we became a really good team, we became a family,” Mendoza said. “And now we raised the bar. Expectations now, this is what we should strive for every year, to be playing deep into October. And we showed that this year.”

Deesha Thosar is an MLB reporter for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.

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