LeBron James says he will never take playing with his son Bronny for granted, with the Los Angeles Lakers' injury woes opening the possibility of the father-son duo playing significant NBA Playoff minutes together.

The fourth-seeded Lakers will face the fifth-seeded Houston Rockets in a best-of-seven series in the first round of the postseason, with Game 1 taking place in Texas on Saturday.

But Los Angeles' hopes of winning a 19th NBA championship – and a first since 2020 – have been thrown into doubt after star duo Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves were ruled out for the remainder of the campaign.

Doncic sustained a hamstring strain and Reaves suffered an oblique injury during a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 2, and head coach JJ Redick said this week that both are out "indefinitely."

But that does mean Bronny could have a shot at more minutes against Houston, having developed his on-court understanding with his father this season.

They achieved the first father-son assist in NBA history against the Brooklyn Nets last month, as LeBron found Bronny with space to hit a 3-pointer.

Bronny, who missed the NCAA's March Madness during his time with USC after suffering a cardiac arrest in July 2023, is now looking forward to playing on the big stage, with one team-mate making it all the more special. 

"It's insane," he said after a practice session on Thursday. "I mean, I've literally watched his whole career. Now I'm a part of it. So it's a great experience. 

"I'm appreciative of it, but it's part of the job, too. So I have to do my job as well. I've got to lock in.

"It's what I've wanted, to play in the playoffs. I wasn't able to play in March Madness, and this is a bigger stage than that."

Lakers. Rockets. Coming soon. pic.twitter.com/ZlEbtsdQ1v

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) April 17, 2026

LeBron said: "Every moment we get an opportunity to play together is something I never take for granted.

"Me being on the floor with him postseason, regular season, training camp, practices, it's the best thing that's ever happened to me in my career, above anything I've accomplished.

"The fact that he's put himself in position to get his number called for a postseason game is pretty remarkable and pretty cool, given the circumstances that he's been through over the last couple of years. He earned it. He deserves it. He'll be ready."

Redick, meanwhile, praised Bronny's development as an all-round player and insisted the Lakers trust him to deliver in the moments that matter. 

"We're going to have to have all hands on deck in this series, that's just what we've been handed," he said. "I think Bronny has improved a lot. We trust him. 

"The shooting piece, I'm a believer in, because of how well he shot it the last two years in the G League.

"He's improved a ton defensively, in terms of his body positioning, both on and off ball. We want him to continue to evolve as a disruptive defender as well."