LeBron James revealed Monday that his son Bronny underwent surgery this summer after experiencing cardiac arrest during a USC basketball practice.
James did not provide details about the surgery or its timing, but he did say Bronny is recovering well from the incident and he expects his son to play for USC this season.
“Bronny’s doing really well,” James told reporters at Lakers media day. “He has started the rehab process this season to get back on the field with his teammates and USC – his surgery was successful. But he is continuing to improve.”
“This summer has been an absolute whirlwind and a lot of emotions for our family. But the best thing we have is each other… We’re excited to see where he is today and we look forward to seeing where he goes The future. Stored for him.”
Browne, 18, is a freshman at USC. He committed to the Trojans amid high-profile recruiting pitches at Ohio State, Oregon and other colleges. On July 24, he suffered cardiac arrest during a team training and was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Three days later, he was stabilized and discharged from the hospital, diagnosed with a treatable congenital heart defect. The James family revealed Bronny’s diagnosis in a statement in August after previously sharing a video of him playing the piano at home.
The James family noted at the time that they were “very confident in Bronny’s full recovery.”
On Monday, James said he would dedicate the upcoming Lakers season to Bronny.
“Nothing else matters except my family,” James continued. “Obviously, because of the events that happened this summer, I’m going to dedicate this season to Brownie. Understand, it’s just about putting everything into perspective.
“No matter what’s going on in your life at that time, the only thing that matters is your family. Look at what he’s been through in the last few months, it’s been a lot. I can only imagine how he feels because it’s so hard for me It’s important and it’s important to our family.
Exactly when Bronny will return to the court is unclear. USC coach Andy Enfield announced last week that Bronny was taking classes but did not speculate on whether he would return to basketball activities.
“We can’t comment on anything medical,” Enfield said. “…We anticipate he will be a very valuable part of our basketball team.”
James on Monday gave USC’s training and coaching staff “the biggest compliment, the biggest compliment” for their response to Bronny’s condition and thanked Cedars-Sinai’s medical staff for treating Bronny. He then reiterated how good Bronny was doing.
“If he walked in the door right now, you wouldn’t even know he has what he has because of how good his moves are and how dynamic he is,” James said. “It’s just a beautiful thing.”