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• Updated Apr 16, 2026 at 9:50pm

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Los Angeles Lakers guard Bronny James brings the ball up court against the Washington Wizards at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, CA on Monday, March 30, 2026.

NBA icon LeBron James revealed that he believes his son Bronny James deserves minutes for the Los Angeles Lakers during this postseason run. The Lakers will already have a shortened roster due to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves missing time. Bronny has played the most minutes of his NBA career over the past few weeks and got to share the court with his father.

LeBron said the following when asked about Bronny potentially entering the playoff rotation:

“The fact that he’s put himself in the position to get his number called for a postseason game is pretty remarkable and pretty cool, given the circumstances that he’s been through the last couple years. He earned and he deserved, he’ll be ready.”

The comment from James confirmed his pride in Bronny working his way into having a chance to even get postseason minutes. Bronny making the playoff rotation of a top four seed seemed impossible to believe not that long ago.

LeBron referenced Bronny overcoming difficult circumstances of his heart issues slowing down his progression from college to the NBA level. The first round series against the Houston Rockets will require the Lakers to get help from expected names, and Bronny could very well be one of those names to step up.

Will Bronny James Get Playoff Minutes?

Head coach JJ Redick made it clear that everyone on the Lakers roster should be ready to play. Doncic and Reaves are expected to miss most to all of the series, so the Lakers will have to play more names in the guard position.

Marcus Smart returning from injury will make it less likely that Bronny easily gets minutes with the second team. The Lakers will likely have LeBron running the offense, with Smart and Luke Kennard playing most of the minutes from the guard position.

Bronny will need one or two players to struggle for his number to get called in competitive playoff games. The Rockets also lack guard play, so Houston and Los Angeles could both opt to play bigger lineups. Bronny needs other things to work in his favor to get playing time and must deliver positively to keep his minutes.

LeBron Clearly Wants To Play With Bronny In Postseason

LeBron’s quote claiming Bronny deserves and earned his time on the court in the biggest games of the season shows how much he wants to play with his son. Last season featured James playing it safe and not talking up Bronny too much.

However, the past few weeks of solid play for Bronny makes LeBron believe that they can accomplish good things together in the playoffs. LeBron also made sure to say that Bronny will be ready when his time comes in the first-round series.

The Lakers will need Bronny and anyone else getting playing time to step up against a Rockets team led by All-Stars Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun. LeBron is certainly excited about the playoffs with his role running the offense again and Bronny potentially sharing playing time with him for the first time in the postseason.