Entertainment Sports LeBron James Is Ready to 'Fight' for In-Season Tournament Title After Controversial Win Over Suns The NBA star's son, Bronny James, was in the crowd to support his dad and the Lakers on Tuesday night By Natasha Dye Natasha Dye Natasha Dye is a writer-reporter for PEOPLE covering sports. Her previous work appears in The New York Post and Popstar! Magazine. People Editorial Guidelines Published on December 6, 2023 12:58PM EST Close LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers brings the ball upcourt against the Memphis Grizzlies. Photo: Justin Ford/Getty LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are officially headed to the NBA's inaugural In-Season Tournament in Las Vegas. James, 38, called a controversial timeout in the last moments of the tournament's quarterfinals on Tuesday to snag a win over the Phoenix Suns, but some analysts and fans were upset with the call, claiming that Lakers' Austin Reaves wasn't in possession of the ball when James signaled for the timeout. Following the win, James, whose son Bronny was in attendance for Tuesday's thrilling game at the Crypto.com Arena, said he and his team are ready to become the league's first In-Season Tournament champions. "We have an opportunity to compete for something, so why not? You've got the greatest competitors in the world fighting for something, so let's fight." Exiting the tunnel after the victory, James said it was a "big time game" with a "dominant performance from [Anthony Davis]" and a "big time shot" by Reaves, 25, to seal the victory. LeBron James Says He'd Skip a Laker Game to Watch Son Bronny's USC Basketball Debut: 'Family Over Everything' "And our bench was amazing today," James added before saying his team "needed that energy" against a Phoenix team led by "two of the greats" in Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. Suns star Booker, 27, and head coach Frank Vogel were especially upset with the officiating in Tuesday's loss. Booker took to Instagram moments after the final buzzer to question the call that ultimately sealed the win for Los Angeles. The NBA All-Star posted a now-deleted screenshot to his story from the moment James called the timeout, which showed the ball was still in between his and Reaves' possession. In the NBA, a timeout can only be called by the team who has possession of the ball. By calling timeout, the Lakers, ahead by a sole possession at the time, were able to advance the ball on their end and retain possession, eliminating almost all of Phoenix's comeback opportunities. Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns. Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Bronny James Cleared by Doctors for 'Full Return to Basketball' After Cardiac Arrest After the game, Booker told reporters, "You know what happened. The whole world seen it. I just got off social media, and other players around the league saw it. We're not asking for favoritism. We're asking for a fair chance." During his postgame media availability, Coach Vogel said, "You can't call timeout on a loose ball," and called the referees' decision "extremely disappointing." When Vogel was asked what explanation he was given by the officiating team, he bluntly said, "Not a good one." Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Next, the Lakers will head to Las Vegas to play the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday. The winner of that matchup will advance to the Final on Saturday, where they'll play the winner of the Milwaukee Bucks vs. Indiana Pacers matchup.