Bronny James begins his Lakers career with a preseason debut. LeBron won't join until the next game

PALM DESERT, Calif. (AP) — Bronny James played in his first NBA preseason game Friday night, but LeBron James wasn't in uniform with him when the Lakers hosted Minnesota in the first of Los Angeles' two weekend games in the Coachella Valley.

Lakers coach JJ Redick elected to hold out LeBron James against the Timberwolves after three hard days of training camp, but the 39-year-old top scorer in NBA history is likely to play against Phoenix on Sunday — which just happens to be Bronny's 20th birthday.

Bronny James finished with two points in the Lakers’ 124-107 loss to the Timberwolves, missing his first five shots before making a layup with 56.9 seconds to play. But the 6-foot-2 guard also blocked three shots, and he picked up one rebound and one assist while playing the first half of the second quarter and most of the fourth, finishing with 16 minutes of action.

“I liked what I saw from Bronny,” Redick said. “Truthfully, he’s so easy to coach, and he’s got great soul and a great energy about him. I like being around him. I’m rooting for him. He’s a good player that we’re happy to have in our program.”

Bronny James didn't speak to reporters after his debut.

Before they become the first father and son to play in the same NBA game, Bronny James knows he has plenty of work to do. He got his first chance to play in Lakers gold when he took the floor to begin the second quarter at Acrisure Arena outside Palm Springs.

Playing alongside starting Lakers point guard D’Angelo Russell, Bronny got caught on a pick on his first defensive possession, allowing Rob Dillingham to hit an open 3-pointer. Bronny's pass was then intercepted by Nickeil Alexander-Walker on the other end, but Bronny hustled back and blocked his layup attempt.

“He can do some things defensively at his size that are really unique, and he can, I think, turn into a really disruptive defender, and that manifested itself,” Redick said. “On the offensive end, he’s still kind of figuring out who he is, and that’s our job as a player development program to build him up.”

Bronny missed all three of his shots during his first six minutes of action, including a 3-pointer. He picked up an assist when he found Rui Hachimura for a 3-pointer from the corner on a fast break.

Bronny returned for the start of the fourth quarter, missing a jumper and having a layup attempt blocked. In the final minute, he got a pass from fellow rookie Dalton Knecht and looped a layup over a defender for his first points.

Redick said Bronny earned playing time in the Lakers' preseason opener with three strong performances in practice this week.

LeBron appeared to be keeping a mindful distance from Bronny during the game, allowing his oldest son to focus on his job. But LeBron spoke at length to Bronny during a timeout halfway through the second quarter, explaining something with hand gestures while Bronny nodded.

Bronny James was the Lakers’ second-round draft pick, and he played in summer league in Las Vegas. He is expected to play for the Lakers in the preseason before spending a significant portion of the upcoming regular season with the G League’s South Bay Lakers.

“Of course there’s nerves,” Bronny said after the Lakers’ pregame shootaround. “But I’m just excited to go out there and learn from the people playing in front of me, and if I get a chance to showcase what I can do, I’m going to do that.”

As is typical for inactive players, LeBron largely stayed away from the Lakers' huddles. He mostly stood on the perimeter during timeouts with Anthony Davis, who also sat out the preseason opener. Both superstars have been at training camp in El Segundo.

“We felt like, given everything they had this summer, and their level of participation over the past three days, it made the most sense for them to get an off day today,” Redick said. “We told them at shootaround to just stay off their feet.”

Redick said Thursday that both LeBron James and Davis will play in at least one game this weekend.

James and Davis are sitting out the first of the Lakers’ six preseason games as they ease back into competition after a busy summer. LeBron and Davis were both on the U.S. team that won a gold medal at the Paris Olympics, and they walked to midcourt right before tipoff to greet Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards, their Olympic teammate.

Friday's crowd didn't seem disappointed as it poured into the 22-month-old arena that serves at the home of the American Hockey League's Coachella Valley Firebirds. Hundreds of fans in gold Lakers jerseys representing everyone from James to George Mikan rushed into the building and down the stairs in the lower bowl for an up-close look at the pregame warmups.

“The beautiful thing about the Lakers is that we have fans all over the world,” Redick said. “The desert over here is an extension, I think in some ways, of our fan base in LA. It's a great opportunity for our group to play in front of these fans tonight.”

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James, right, tries to shoot as Minnesota Timberwolves guard Rob Dillingham defends during the first half of a preseason NBA basketball game, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, in Palm Desert, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James shoots and misses during the first half of a preseason NBA basketball game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, in Palm Desert, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James stands on the court during introductions prior to a preseason NBA basketball game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, in Palm Desert, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James, right, runs to the other end of the court as Minnesota Timberwolves guard Rob Dillingham watches during the first half of a preseason NBA basketball game, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, in Palm Desert, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker, center, shoots as Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James, right, defends during the first half of a preseason NBA basketball game, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, in Palm Desert, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker, center, shoots as Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James, right, defends during the first half of a preseason NBA basketball game, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, in Palm Desert, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

CORRECTS TO PALM DESERT, CALIF., NOT LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James, right, shoots as Minnesota Timberwolves center Luka Garza defends during the first half of a preseason NBA basketball game, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, in Palm Desert, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James, left, greets his son, Bronny James as Bronny comes off the court during the first half of a preseason NBA basketball game, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024, in Palm Desert, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James, left, and his son, Bronny James, pose for photos during the NBA basketball team's media day in El Segundo, Calif., Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown on protesters, a move coming as activists said Monday the death toll in the nationwide demonstrations rose to at least 544.

Iran had no immediate reaction to the news, which came after the foreign minister of Oman — long an interlocutor between Washington and Tehran — traveled to Iran this weekend. It also remains unclear just what Iran could promise, particularly as Trump has set strict demands over its nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal, which Tehran insists is crucial for its national defense.

Meanwhile Monday, Iran called for pro-government demonstrators to head to the streets in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”

Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran including cyberattacks and direct strikes by the U.S. or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night. Asked about Iran’s threats of retaliation, he said: “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before.”

Trump said that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.

“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”

He added: “The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate.”

Iran through country's parliamentary speaker warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.

More than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said 496 of the dead were protesters and 48 were with security forces.

With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.

Those abroad fear the information blackout is emboldening hard-liners within Iran’s security services to launch a bloody crackdown. Protesters flooded the streets in the country’s capital and its second-largest city on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Online videos purported to show more demonstrations Sunday night into Monday, with a Tehran official acknowledging them in state media.

In Tehran, a witness told the AP that the streets of the capital empty at the sunset call to prayers each night. By the Isha, or nighttime prayer, the streets are deserted.

Part of that stems from the fear of getting caught in the crackdown. Police sent the public a text message that warned: “Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”

Another text, which claimed to come from the intelligence arm of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also directly warned people not to take part in demonstrations.

“Dear parents, in view of the enemy’s plan to increase the level of naked violence and the decision to kill people, ... refrain from being on the streets and gathering in places involved in violence, and inform your children about the consequences of cooperating with terrorist mercenaries, which is an example of treason against the country,” the text warned.

The witness spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing crackdown.

The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, which trades at over 1.4 million to $1, as the country’s economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied over its nuclear program. The protests intensified and grew into calls directly challenging Iran’s theocracy.

Nikhinson reported from aboard Air Force One.

In this frame grab from video obtained by the AP outside Iran, a masked demonstrator holds a picture of Iran's Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, January. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran shows protesters taking to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)