Bronny James scores the first points of his NBA career, 21 years and one day after father LeBron

“We need Bronny! We need Bronny!

That was the chant from the crowd desperate to see Bronny James take the court Wednesday, but it mostly came from opposing fans.

In particular, Cleveland Cavaliers fans who wanted to see the son of franchise hero LeBron James got some court time during the visit of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Lakers head coach JJ Reddick finally agreed and brought Bronny into the game in the fourth quarter to a loud ovation from the Cleveland crowd.

With just over two minutes left, James Jr. gave the crowd the moment they’d been waiting for, scoring his first points of his NBA career with a step-back jump shot. There was great jubilation in the arena.

In the context of the game, the hit didn’t mean much as the Cavaliers went on to defeat the Lakers 134-110, but it was a moment that viewers—Bronny and LeBron alike—will likely remember forever.

Both men were born in Akron, near Cleveland, and LeBron led his hometown Cavaliers to their first and only NBA championship in 2016, leading a historic comeback against the Golden State Warriors.

The pair made history on opening day of the season when they became the first father-son duo to appear together in an NBA game. Ahead of Wednesday’s game, Bronny posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, photos of the banners the Cavaliers put up in the arena of LeBron and a young Bronny celebrating the title, reading “Welcome home Bronny” and “Welcome home LeBron ” “

Bronny called the atmosphere in the arena “crazy.”

“Obviously a lot more than I expected, but it’s all love,” he said. “It was a nice moment. The song really got to me. I had a straight face, but I felt it, and it felt really good, especially coming from that. It was definitely a special moment for me.”

Bronny added that he dreamed of scoring his first NBA basket, which happened 21 years and one day after LeBron’s first points in the league, “ever since I picked up a ball.”

“I’ve been watching this guy play in the league for a minute now,” he said, pointing to LeBron. “So I just dream about following in the footsteps of these players, not just him, but the players he played against and with. So for me it was just a dream.”

There was a comical moment when TV cameras showed a completely emotionless – and apparently emotionless – LeBron on the sideline after Bronny scored, but the 39-year-old smiled proudly throughout the post-game press conference as he watched his goal. son talks to reporters.

“He’s better than I could be in this situation,” LeBron said. “20,000 fans screaming my name to come into the game and want me in the game, and if the role was reversed, I don’t know if I could handle it.

“So I commend him for his composure, the way he approaches not only the game but life in general.

“To see him score his first NBA basket in this arena where he grew up, not far from here, it’s an incredible moment. An incredible moment for him, especially for our family. It’s just great to be a part of it.”

The Pacers handed the Celtics their first loss of the season.

The Indiana Pacers survived a huge comeback attempt from the Boston Celtics to hand the defending champions their first loss of the season on Wednesday.

Indiana’s brilliant offense opened up a 24-point lead in the third quarter but then capitulated, allowing Boston to tie the game and send the game to overtime.

But Indiana, which swept the Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals last season, showed impressive poise to hold off Boston’s momentum and win 135-132 on Pascal Siakam’s 3-pointer with six seconds remaining.

Siakam, who lost all nine games he played against the Celtics last season with the Pacers and Toronto Raptors, finished with 29 points (6 of 8 from deep), 11 rebounds and five assists.

Bennedict Mathurin scored 30 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in one of the best games of his young career, and Tyrese Haliburton added 17 points and 12 assists.

For the Celtics, Jayson Tatum scored a game-high 37 points, Jaylen Brown added 25 and Derrick White 23.

KAT scored 44 points as the Knicks beat the Heat.

Karl-Anthony Towns scored 44 points as the New York Knicks beat the Miami Heat 116-107 on Wednesday.

In his best performance for his new team since being traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves, Towns shot an efficient 68 percent from the field, including 4 of 5 from 3-point range, and grabbed 13 rebounds.

The Knicks trailed by 13 points in the third quarter but went on a hot streak to open up a seven-point lead entering the fourth.

Jalen Brunson had 22 points and nine assists for the Knicks, and Josh Hart had a double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds.

Tyler Herro scored 34 points with eight triples to go along with five rebounds and seven assists for the Heat.

Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo continued their slow starts to the season with 15 and 11 points, respectively.

Full Wednesday results

Away @ Home (winners in bold)

Los Angeles Lakers 110–134 Cleveland Cavaliers

Boston Celtics 132-135(OT) Indiana Pacers

New York Knicks 116-107 Miami Heat

Atlanta Hawks 120–133 Washington Wizards

Detroit Pistons 105-95 Philadelphia 76ers

Toronto Raptors 133–138 Charlotte Hornets

Brooklyn Nets 119-106 Memphis Grizzlies

Orlando Magic 99-102 Chicago Bulls

San Antonio Spurs 93–105 Oklahoma City Thunder

New Orleans Pelicans 89-104 Golden State Warriors

Portland Trail Blazers 106-105 Los Angeles Clippers

For more CNN news and newsletters, create an account at CNN.com.