Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James said he and his family were grateful to watch his eldest son, Bronny, make his Division I debut with USC less than five months after suffering a cardiac arrest.
Bronny recorded four points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals and one blocked shot on Sunday in an 84-79 loss in overtime to Long Beach State. He made one of his three shot attempts from the field in 17 minutes off the bench.
“It was everything for my family,” LeBron said Tuesday after a 127-125 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. “It was just an emotional, draining day, from the time we all woke up to the time the buzzer hit zeros. I think the most important thing — who cares about the win or the loss — the kid was standing tall and standing strong at the end of the game.”
The 19-year-old Bronny was cleared this month to begin contact practice after suffering a cardiac arrest in July at a team workout. He was diagnosed with an “anatomically and functionally significant congenital heart defect” and was expected to make a full recovery.
He participated in his first two practice sessions with the Trojans on Thursday and Friday, clearing the way to play Long Beach State at the Galen Center. He was expected to come off the bench in the contest and be on a minute restriction.
“I just want to say I’m thankful for everything,” said Bronny, who didn’t take questions after the game. “Mayo Clinic, everything they helped me with, my parents, siblings for supporting me through this hard time in my life. I just want to give appreciation to everyone that’s helped me through this. Also, my coach, my teammates, all my other coaches. They’ve been with me since the start, and I just want to say I’m thankful for them.”
Bronny missed the first eight games of the season. He was able to participate in non-contact activities with the team before gaining clearance to resume practice. He was said to have looked good in practice and ready to contribute in his debut.
He bolstered the Trojans’ second unit, from his on-ball defense to his ability to serve as a playmaker. He now has the opportunity to continue to practice with the team and get up to speed for the duration of the season.
“He has won at life, and everything else at this point is extra credit,” LeBron said. “We were there to support him. That moment was everything for us to be there and to see the first person out of our family, out of the James gang, to grace a college campus and a college floor. That was pretty cool.”
The Trojans (5-4) will face Auburn and Alabama State on the road on Sunday and Tuesday to wrap up their nonconference schedule. They begin conference play with Oregon (Dec. 28) and Oregon State (Dec. 30) on the road, before returning home to host Cal on Jan. 3.
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