LeBron James was dealt a brief scare as the Lakers began their playoff campaign on Saturday night after accidentally swatting a ball into the face of a young girl.
During the first quarter of their Game 1 battle with the Houston Rockets, James got across to intercept a pass from Jabari Smith Jr near the edge of the court.
Yet after swatting the ball away to stop it from reaching Rockets center Alperen Sengun, it flew straight into a child who was sitting on an adult’s lap courtside.
LeBron quickly rushed over to make sure the girl was not hurt, which fortunately proved to be the case.
A woman who had the child sitting on her lap reassured the NBA legend that she was OK, before he ran back onto the court to continue the game.
The Lakers are aiming to make it past the opening round of the playoffs for the first time since 2023, despite reaching the postseason in each of the last three seasons.
LeBron James accidentally hit a young fan with the ball during the Lakers’ first playoff game
Since they won the NBA Championship behind closed doors in the Covid-hit 2019-20 season, LeBron and Co have only made it past the first round on one occasion, when they made it to the Western Conference finals in 2022-23.
For James himself, this year’s playoff run will be all the more special given he is experiencing it alongside son Bronny.
LeBron and Bronny made NBA history last season as the first ever father-and-son duo to play together. They took their family dynamic to another level this season by playing meaningful minutes together and even getting the first father-to-son assist in NBA history.
And the James clan added another chapter to its family lore on Saturday after Bronny made it onto the court for some minutes against the Rockets.
‘It´s insane,’ Bronny said about the prospect of lining up next to his dad in the playoffs. ‘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 I’m part of the job, too. So I have to do my job as well. I´ve got to lock in.’
Bronny’s playing time has increased over the last month, and he has been a rotation member for the Lakers since Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves went down with injuries two weeks ago.
James made history after lining up alongside his son Bronny in the playoffs on Saturday
LeBron takes an obvious fatherly pride in Bronny’s development into a contributor for their short-handed team.
‘Every moment we get an opportunity to play together is something I never take for granted,’ LeBron said.
‘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 everything I’ve accomplished,’ he added.
‘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.’
