The Los Angeles Lakers may have to make way for LeBron James’ son.
Despite being in the middle of the NBA season and leading an 11-9 team in desperate need of wins, James said after Friday’s blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder that if his son Bronny James would play in the same Tian made his college basketball debut at USC.
“I’ve told my teammates that if they play on the same day that we play, I’m going to have to catch them in the next game,” James said.
“Family comes first above all else…but as soon as Bronny is healthy and ready to play, he’s definitely going to see his first game.”
Browne was recently cleared to return to Troy.
The 19-year-old freshman suffered cardiac arrest during a summer workout and underwent successful surgery to repair a congenital heart defect.
USC started the 2023-24 college season with a 5-2 record without Browne and a first-place ranking in the Pac-12 Conference.
The Trojans’ next game is against No. 11 Gonzaga.
As the Lakers battle for a spot in the Western Conference, James is keeping a close eye on his son’s debut at USC.
“This is a proud moment,” James said. “Our family is very excited about Bronny … for him to be able to do what he loves and get back with his teammates and put on a uniform and stuff like that, it’s very gratifying for him Of course.”
Even with James in uniform, the Lakers struggled on the hardwood.
Los Angeles blew a 14-point lead against the young Thunder.
“We knew it was going to be tough at the end of the road trip,” Lakers coach Davon Hamm said. “Our guys fought as hard as they could.
“Obviously, there were things we needed to clean up and we could have done better. We did the best we could under the circumstances.”
James had another efficient night (7-for-12 shooting) and grabbed double-digit rebounds (12).
But he only scored 21 points in one game as the Thunder dominated after the first quarter and won by 23 points.
“I don’t know where we are,” James said. “We don’t have a group yet. I know who some of us are.”
He knew he was ready for Bronny’s college debut.
The NBA king is willing to miss playing with the Lakers if he eventually gets to see Bronny play for USC.