Bronny James cleared to return for USC basketball after cardiac arrest

Bronny James, the 19-year-old son of NBA star LeBron James, has been fully cleared by doctors to return to basketball activities for the University of Southern California following his recovery from a sudden cardiac arrest he suffered during a July practice, a James family spokesperson said Thursday.

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“Bronny will have a final evaluation with USC staff this week, resume practice next week and return to games soon after,” the James family said in a statement. “The James family would like to express their gratitude to the incredible medical team, the entire USC community, and especially the countless friends, family and fans for their love and support. Fight On!”

The Trojans, who opened their season this month, are off to a 5-2 start without James, a freshman who chose USC over Oregon and Ohio State as a four-star recruit. James was selected as a McDonald’s all-American during his senior year at Sierra Canyon School outside Los Angeles 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 7.6 million Instagram followers.

But the start of his college career was delayed by the July 24 practice incident, which led to his hospitalization in Los Angeles after he lost consciousness. James was discharged after a short stay at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and his family sought further medical evaluations by doctors at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and Morristown Medical Center in New Jersey. In August, the James family announced he had a treatable heart defect and would pursue a return to basketball.

“The probable cause of Mr. James’s sudden cardiac arrest has been identified,” the James family said in August. “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.”

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 and has drawn media coverage for both his basketball skills and his professional video gaming associations. James, who remained largely out of the public eye immediately after the incident, has been more visible at USC football and basketball games in recent weeks.

The 38-year-old LeBron James, who is in his 21st professional season, 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.

At the Lakers’ media day in early October , LeBron James said he would dedicate this season to his son.

“I’m going to dedicate this season to Bronny because of the incident that happened this summer,” James said. “It just puts everything in perspective. No matter what’s going on in your life at that point in time, the only thing that matters is your family. To see what he’s been through over the last few months, it’s been a lot. I can only imagine how it’s been for him because it’s been a lot for me and for our family.”