When Bronny James makes his debut at USC, whether the Lakers are playing or not, his father will be there.
The James family and the USC Trojans received good news Thursday after James Jr. suffered a horrific cardiac arrest in July, as Bronny was cleared to return to the basketball court fully. He is expected to return to training next week, although he may not play for some time.
But when he does, his father will be there.
“I’ve told my teammates that if they play on the same day that we play,” James told reporters, “then I have to catch them the next game.”
Does that sound disloyal to his team? Not really. James is the oldest player in the NBA and will have to rest a few games if he wants to stay fresh in the playoffs. It seemed perfectly reasonable to schedule one of those absences to observe his son, who had recently had a brush with death. The man will be 39 years old soon! Let him be the father for now. D’Angelo Russell can carry the load in the XI.
The USC basketball team started their season with a 5-2 record. In addition to James, the Trojans also have freshman Isaiah Collier, who could be the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA draft. They have a high-profile game against No. 11 Gonzaga in Las Vegas on Saturday, but James has been ruled out.
Doctors at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles determined that James’ cardiac arrest in July was caused by a congenital heart defect that “can and will be treated.” They also expressed confidence that he would recover and play basketball “in the near future.”
LeBron James has said multiple times that he wants to play with his son before his career is over. Until then, he’ll be rooting for his son’s first college game — wherever the Lakers may be.