LeBron James on watching son Bronny’s debut at USC after cardiac arrest: ‘It was everything’
LeBron James was courtside with his family at USC on Sunday to watch Bronny’s debut with the Trojans
While USC didn’t get the win in Bronny James’ debut Sunday, LeBron James couldn’t be happier with how the weekend worked out.
LeBron, after leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a title in the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament Saturday night, sat courtside with his family at the Galen Center on Sunday to watch his eldest son make his college debut — something that had been in doubt after Bronny experienced cardiac arrest less than five months ago.
“It was everything for my family,” LeBron said after the Lakers fell to the Mavericks 127-125 on Tuesday night in Dallas, via The Associated Press. “It was just an emotional, draining day, from the time we all woke up to the time the buzzer hit zeros … 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.”
Bronny collapsed and experienced cardiac arrest during a basketball workout with USC on July 24, and had been recovering ever since. He finally made his debut Sunday, only 139 days after he was rushed to the hospital and admitted to the ICU.
Bronny played on a minutes restriction, and had four points and three rebounds in 17 minutes in the Trojans’ 84-79 loss to Long Beach State. Bronny didn’t take any questions from reporters after the loss, which marked the third for the Trojans in their last four games, but said he was “thankful for everything.”
"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," James said Tuesday, via The Associated Press. "That is a blessing in its own right, and that is a win. He's won at life, and everything else at this point is extra credit."
USC will take on Auburn on Sunday, where Bronny will continue to play on an undisclosed minutes restriction as he eases back into playing form. He’s sure to break into the starting lineup eventually and play at the level the Trojans expected when they first recruited him. But for now, everyone around Bronny is just happy he’s back.
"I think everybody's been through a lot emotionally, Bronny the most," USC head coach Andy Enfield said Sunday. "He's handled it very well, and anytime you go through an emotional situation, it's nice to have teammates and a staff that can care. His teammates did a great job with Bronny. He's back now, and we're all excited for him."
