LeBron James and his entire family got exceptional news on Thursday when it was announced that Bronny James — who suffered a cardiac arrest earlier this year — is being cleared for basketball activity and could soon make his return to the court for the USC Trojans.
The Trojans are 5-2 thus far this season and could use the boost of another dynamic player in Bronny. It’s unclear exactly when he’ll be available for the Trojans for the first time, but the James family is undoubtedly already making arrangements for it.
LeBron, in particular, already seems to have his mind made up on what he would do if the Lakers played on Bronny’s debut day, but first he spoke about how excited he is for Bronny to be working toward a return, via Spectrum SportsNet:
“Big-time excitement from our family for Bronny. And for USC as well. It’s something that he’s been working towards for the last 12 weeks. And for him to get the clearance to do what he loves to do and go back to being with his teammates and put on a uniform and things of that nature, it’s pretty gratifying.”
But then, LeBron admitted that because of how important that college debut moment will be for Bronny, it’s very possible he’ll miss a Lakers game if he needs to:
“That’s his passion and his joy. His family and his friends and the game of basketball. He loves playing it, he loves competing, he loves being out there just having a good time and having fun. He’s been doing it for a long time and he’s put the work in. It will be exciting, I’m looking forward to his first game whenever he’s cleared and ready to have his first 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. I told ya’ll on the plane. Family over everything, champs. I love ya’ll. But definitely got to see Bronny’s first college game whenever he’s cleared and ready to go.”
It’s completely understandable that LeBron would prioritize Bronny’s college debut over a regular season game. Bronny’s Trojans debut is a testament to not only the work LeBron put in, but also the countless hours Bronny had to put into getting back to full strength.
Looking at the schedules, the Lakers and USC have upcoming games on the same night on Dec. 28 and 30 as well as Jan. 3, 13 and 17.
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