Houston Texans star Will Anderson should have been rooting for the Rockets in Friday’s Western Conference quarterfinals game, but he could not help it when LeBron James wound up next to him.
Anderson helped James up during Friday’s game at one point while sitting courtside during the Los Angeles Lakers’ 98-78 win over Houston at the Toyota Center in Houston, Tex. James recognized the Texans pass rusher based on his reaction.
Will Anderson Jr. helped up LeBron James during the game. 🤣🤝
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) May 2, 2026
(h/t @TexansCommenter)
pic.twitter.com/w7AOB0GSJm
After the game, James acknowledged a long-running social media joke about how much Anderson looks like his son Bronny.
“It was good to see him. That’s my fourth child. Him and Bronny are twins. Don’t know if anybody knows it,” James joked.
.@KingJames 🤝 @will_anderson28 pic.twitter.com/Ttf3RjZ51u
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) May 2, 2026
James clearly has ample respect for Anderson, and understandably so. The Texans star has emerged as a defensive anchor and collected 12 sacks last season. His performances made him a very wealthy man this offseason.
As for James, he probably won’t be seeing much more of Anderson now that the Lakers have dispatched the Rockets. The Oklahoma City Thunder crowd probably won’t be anywhere near as polite to him.
