Bronny James, the 18-year-old son of NBA star LeBron James, could soon return to the basketball court as he continues his recovery from a sudden cardiac arrest he suffered during a practice at the University of Southern California in July, a James family spokesperson said Friday.
The optimistic prognosis, which followed evaluations by doctors at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the Mayo Clinic and the Morristown Medical Center, is the first indication that Bronny James will be able to resume his career since the July 24 incident, which led to his hospitalization in Los Angeles after he lost consciousness.
"The probable cause of Mr. James's sudden cardiac arrest has been identified," the James family said in a statement. "It is an anatomically and functionally significant congenital heart defect which can and will be treated. We are very confident in Bronny's full recovery and return to basketball in the very near future."
In the four weeks since Cedars-Sinai Medical Center announced that LeBron James Jr., known as Bronny, had been discharged, the USC freshman has largely remained out of the public eye and off social media. However, LeBron and Bronny James escorted Drake to the stage during the rapper's concert at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Monday.
Bronny James is the eldest of LeBron and Savannah James's three children. The 6-foot-3 guard rose to national prominence early in his standout high school career at Sierra Canyon School outside Los Angeles and has drawn media coverage for both his basketball skills and his professional video gaming associations.
A four-star recruit who chose USC over Oregon and Ohio State, James was selected as a McDonald's all-American during his senior year thanks to his outside shooting ability and defense. Projected as one of the country's top name, image and likeness earners this fall, James has been viewed as a potential first-round pick in the 2024 NBA draft and has accumulated more than 7 million Instagram followers.
The 38-year-old LeBron James, who is set to enter his 21st professional season this fall, has long expressed a desire to play with his son in the NBA, hoping to become basketball's version of Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr., who were teammates with MLB's Seattle Mariners in 1990 and 1991. James's contract with the Los Angeles Lakers includes a player option for the 2024-25 season, which theoretically could help maximize his ability to team up with Bronny James as soon as next summer.
USC, which recently completed an international preseason tour in Greece and Croatia, will open its 2023-24 schedule against Kansas State in Las Vegas on Nov. 6.
