The Los Angeles Lakers defied the odds and clinched Game 1 of their first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets on Saturday night.
Amid the 107-98 victory despite a severely shorthanded Lakers roster, LeBron James and his son Bronny made NBA history by becoming the first father-son duo to share the floor in a playoff game. Afterward, the 22-time All-Star revealed what advice he gave to his son, Bronny.
LeBron James Recalls Playoff Debut After Making NBA History With Bronny
Entering the April 18 opener without the playmaking engines of Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, the Lakers relied entirely on their 41-year-old superstar.
James delivered in emphatic fashion, recording 19 points, 13 assists, and 8 rebounds, pacing the Lakers’ offense for 38 minutes against a Rockets side that was missing Kevin Durant.
Amid his own workload, James Sr. had his eye on his son Bronny’s playoff debut. After the win, the 41-year-old was asked whether he’d given his son any “fatherly advice” ahead of the Game 1 clash.
“No I mean, we all prepared this week, including Bronny. Just like everybody in their first playoff game, you’re gonna be nervous. You could try to prepare for it, sleep as much as you can the night before, you can do all the things that you do. The same routine and everything,” LeBron explained.
i asked @KingJames if he had any fatherly (or teammate) advice for bronny heading into their first playoff game together pic.twitter.com/XmsBrmJeWv
— claire de lune (@ClaireMPLS) April 19, 2026
Drawing comparisons to his own postseason debut with the Cleveland Cavaliers two decades ago, he added, “I was nervous as hell, as soon as I got on the floor I was super nervous. But you gotta get them jitters out, you get that first game under your belt, now you kinda know what to expect. So yeah, he’ll be better going into the next time he gets his number called.”
Bronny checked into the game for a 4-minute stretch in the second quarter, and although the second-year guard didn’t light up the traditional box score (0 points, 0 rebounds), he gave the Lakers a much-needed burst of defensive energy.
LeBron James played in his first NBA game nearly a year before Bronny was born.
He just won a playoff game with him tonight 🤯 pic.twitter.com/sGdgNIc2eX
— Real App (@realapp) April 19, 2026
Reflecting on the surreal experience of sharing the court with his son during a postseason game, with their entire family watching from the stands, James said:
“Sh*t, I was on the floor with my son in a playoff game. That’s probably the craziest thing that’s happened to me in my career. It was just so cool to be out there with him and his brother and sister and his mom in the building… that’s just insane.”
After an impressive night that saw Luke Kennard become the standout for Los Angeles, the team will look to carry that momentum and take a 2-0 series lead when they return to the floor in Los Angeles for Game 2 on Tuesday night.
