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Bronny James was slated to make his college basketball debut this season, but his future was cast into doubt following a scary medical incident that unfolded over the summer. However, it appears he’s on the verge of suiting up for USC in the wake of a very positive development.
When you consider LeBron James will go down as one of the best (if not the best) basketball players of all time, it’s pretty hard to imagine Bronny James (or any of his offspring) will be able to come close to surpassing his legendary legacy.
With that said, his eldest son did pretty well for himself while playing high school basketball for Sierra Canyon. Bronny was a four-star prospect who received offers from a number of notable college basketball programs (including Kentucky and Michigan) before narrowing down his list of potential destinations to Oregon, Ohio State, and USC.
When everything was said and done, Bronny decided to stay close to home and take his talents to the USC Trojans, and while he joined the team over the summer, he suffered a setback when he was rushed to the hospital after succumbing to a cardiac incident while practicing toward the end of July.
The fact that the incident stemmed from a congenital heart defect led to speculation he might not be able to play competitively going forward, but he thankfully received a positive prognosis after undergoing surgery to treat the issue. He headed to campus to start taking classes when his freshman year officially kicked off, but the timeline for a potential return was still up in the air.
Now, it appears he’ll be suiting up in the near future, as a spokesperson for the James family released a statement announcing Bronny has been cleared “for a full return to basketball” and will tentatively start practicing with USC toward the start of December.
Just In: After recovering from a cardiac arrest in late July, USC freshman Bronny James has been cleared to make a full return to basketball. He will resume practice next week for Trojans and return to games soon after. Statement from James family spokesperson: pic.twitter.com/3aj490m6Fl
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 30, 2023
The Trojans are currently sporting a 5-2 record, and while there’s no telling how much playing time the 19-year-old will get, there’s little doubt there will be plenty of eyes on him once he does end up stepping onto the court.