LeBron James Set to Make NBA History With 19th Playoff Run
The Los Angeles Lakers open their first-round series against the Houston Rockets on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC without two of their three big stars, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. Both guards were sidelined by Grade 2 strains suffered during an April 2 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
While sources close to the Slovenian star remain "optimistic" for a return later in the series following intensive hamstring injections in Spain, he and Reaves have officially been ruled out indefinitely for the start of the series.
With two main scorers sidelined, the Lakers are leaning on 41-year-old James, who just made NBA history before the Lakers' postseason starts.
According to the NBA, James will begin his 19th trip to the NBA Playoffs, tying Hall of Famers Karl Malone and John Stockton for the most playoff appearances in league history. This officially moves him past Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Tim Duncan, who each retired with 18.
LeBron James will begin his 19th trip to the NBA Playoffs, tying Karl Malone and John Stockton for the most in league history.
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 16, 2026
James is the career playoff leader in multiple categories, including points.
The Lakers host the Rockets in Game 1 on Saturday at 8:30 PM ET on ABC. pic.twitter.com/wYTkhQeMDH
This milestone comes at a critical time. In the four games following the key injuries, James averaged 25.5 points, 11 assists, and 6.8 rebounds. He guided the Lakers to a 3–1 finish, capped by a three‑game win streak. The solid performance earned him his 70th Western Conference Player of the Week award, edging out Kevin Durant and Amen Thompson.
James finished the regular season averaging 20.9 points, 7.2 assists, and 6.1 rebounds while shooting 51.5%. While he spent much of the year in a supporting role for Doncic, these recent injuries forced him back into being the team's primary option just as the playoffs begin.
Beyond his 19 appearances, James holds the all-time playoff records for points (8,289), field goals, steals, and minutes (12,062). He is also second in career playoff assists with 2,095, behind only Magic Johnson.
He remains the only player to surpass 50,000 total points across the regular season and playoffs, currently at 51,729. He added another record to his resume on March 21 when he passed Robert Parish for the most regular-season games played in NBA history.
Meanwhile, the Lakers finished 53-29 as the fourth seed, improving on last year's 50-32 finish that ended in a five-game, first-round loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
This year, however, they targeted a deep playoff run before injuries hit the locker room. Unfortunately, they will now rely entirely on James to carry the load for at least the first two games.
James also acknowledged he has to return to his former role as the primary playmaker to keep the team competitive. Coach JJ Redick ruled both Doncic and Reaves out indefinitely, with no new updates expected this week. Their season rests on how much James can carry while waiting for the rest of the team to return.
Related: Luka Doncic, Cade Cunningham Receive Big News Before 2026 NBA Playoffs
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This story was originally published April 16, 2026 at 10:59 AM.