The 19-year-old son of LeBron and Savannah James made his college basketball debut on Sunday — with his NBA legend father watching him courtside for the special moment.
After missing the University of Southern California’s first eight games of the season following a cardiac arrest in July, Bronny entered the matchup against Long Beach State about 13 minutes in, drawing cheers from the crowd as he made his way onto the court at the Galen Center.
Video shared on X (formerly known as Twitter) by the USC men’s basketball team’s official account showed LeBron, 38, recording the moment from the stands on his phone.
However, despite the excitement, Bronny and the USC Trojans lost to Long Beach State, which scored an 84-79 victory. In a post-game press conference, Bronny thanked medical professionals, coaches, teammates and his family for helping him amid his journey back to the basketball court.
“I just want to give appreciation to everyone who has helped me through this,” he said, according to a video shared online by NBA reporter Malika Andrews.
Bronny graduated from high school and committed to the USC men’s basketball program in May, but he later spent two days in the hospital after experiencing a cardiac arrest at practice in July.
The teenager was fully cleared to return to his athletics late last month, and he rejoined his Trojans teammates to practice earlier this week.
LeBron previously told reporters after the Los Angeles Lakers’ win over the New Orleans Pelicans last week that he was “super excited” to see his oldest son make his collegiate debut.
“It’s a big milestone for our family, for sure. It’s another step for him on his journey in his basketball career,” he said.
LeBron had even told his teammates he’d sit out if his son’s first game of the season coincided with a Lakers regular season game.
“I already told my teammates that if they play on the same day we’re playing, I’m going to have to catch them the next game,” he previously explained to reporters, according to NBC 4.
“Family over everything,” the NBA star added. “But definitely got to see Bronny’s first game whenever he’s cleared and ready to go.”
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