Imago
Oct 30, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James, right, and forward LeBron James warm up before the game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Lakers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Imago
Oct 30, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James, right, and forward LeBron James warm up before the game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Lakers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Amidst all the ambiguity surrounding LeBron James’ retirement, we learned a new thing about him today. Although the Lakers started well against Houston despite missing two playmakers, the game’s most surreal moment for the 41-year-old veteran occurred before the 107-98 victory was in the bag. History was made in the second quarter, when Bronny subbed into the game to join his father. It is a historic moment that the James family will hold on to for a lifetime. And even though Bronny did not open his account in the four minutes, his dad was visibly moved after the game.
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The NBA’s All-Time Leading Scorer revealed that sharing his 19th postseason with his kid has been much more meaningful than any playoff series. Legacy-wise, this milestone surpasses his own performance of 19 points, 13 assists, and 8 rebounds last night. The famous father and son were not celebrating that moment alone at Crypto.com Arena, though.
“I was on the floor with my son in a playoff game,” LeBron told reporters. “That’s probably the craziest thing that’s ever happened to me in my career. It’s just so cool to be out there with him, and his brother and sister, and his mom in the building, and his grandma. That’s just insane. My mom got to watch her son and her grandson during the playoffs. That’s crazy.” Indeed, the entire James brood was present. Besides Savannah, Gloria, and Zhuri, Bryce also made the trip from Arizona to LA to catch his dad and brother’s first playoff minutes together. Thanks to that, LeBron delivered the second wholesome moment of the night.
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The other heartwarming scene was after the game. As the players headed back to the locker room, Zhuri and Bryce waited for the James clan. Cameras captured LeBron pausing in the hall, draping a towel on his front as a sweat barrier, and hugging Zhuri. As if the big dad grin after seeing his girl wasn’t cute enough, LeBron immediately walked three steps to Bryce for their signature handshake. Only after that, he went to the locker room to talk about sharing the floor with Bronny. While LeBron was chatting with reporters, the clip of his interaction with his kids racked up millions of views.
The 41-year-old has been his son’s biggest supporter and mentor on and off the court. Just before the regular season ended, we saw LeBron publicly give Bronny advice about bounce passing. It came from a place of compassion, not like a senior team member being mean to a rookie on the court. The LA veteran has also made it clear to the media that Bronny is hustling on the court by his own choice and faces no pressure behind the scenes to uphold the James legacy.
LeBron James shares a special moment with his family after winning Game 1 in LA. #Lakeshow pic.twitter.com/KLnZXIiOqu
— LoJo Media (@LoJoMedia) April 19, 2026
Right before the playoffs, James Sr. displayed utmost confidence when he was asked about sharing the court with his son in Round 1. “He earned it, he deserves it, and he’ll be ready,” James said. Statistically, the 21-year-old has shown quite a bit of improvement in his shooting and ball handling this season. In fact, the South Bay Lakers are unbeaten (14-0) when Bronny plays in the G League. Apart from this, a few other things happened on the court, too.
More LeBron James moments that you may have missed as they beat a KD-less Rockets
Before the game, social media was tickled by two fans dressed as LeBron James and Luka Doncic. The funniest was LeBron and Bronny being the picture of ‘locked in,’ while the two actors did a whole comedy sketch next to them, dancing to the Macarena and whatnot.
During the game, James deflected a ball right into a little girl’s head who was sitting courtside. However, instead of moving on to the next possession, the 41-year-old first ensured that the little girl was okay. She appeared initially confused, but only after her family member gave James the vote of confidence that she was fine did the game move on.
Lakers fans dressed as Luka Doncic and LeBron James.
FUNNY AS HELL, lol pic.twitter.com/XgU8EsKwZy
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) April 13, 2026
The father-son team-up was born out of necessity as Doncic and Reaves remain out for an indefinite period, according to the head coach. JJ Redick expanded his rotation, giving 21-year-old Bronny a four-minute stint in the second quarter. While Bronny’s final scoreline remained modest with no points and a turnover, the Lakers found a winning formula behind LeBron and Luke Kennard, who exploded for a career playoff-high 27 points, hit five 3-pointers, and made nine of his first 12 shots. Marcus Smart also had 15 points and eight assists with one triple.
“That’s what it has to be: a collective group,” the 41-year-old James said after beginning his 19th NBA postseason. Los Angeles hit 61% of its shots while holding the Rockets to 38% shooting, thanks to pesky defense. That disparity allowed the Lakers to win despite attempting just 66 shots.
The Rockets were without the scoring punch of Kevin Durant, who was a late scratch. While the home team thrived with their shot-making, for the James family, Saturday wasn’t just a playoff win but a generational celebration. And LeBron and Bronny will look to carry this emotional momentum into Game 2 on Tuesday.
