USC's Bronny James cleared by doctors for return to basketball 4 months after cardiac arrest

Southern California guard Bronny James joins teammates on the court during warmups for an NCAA college basketball game against Seton Hall on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023, in San Diego. James suffered a cardiac arrest in July. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)

LOS ANGELES – Bronny James has been cleared by doctors for a full return to basketball four months after suffering a cardiac arrest, and the Southern California freshman is expected to make his collegiate debut soon.

A James family spokesperson said in a statement Thursday that the 19-year-old will have a final evaluation with USC staff this week and resume practice next week. He will be able to play in games “soon after,” it said.

“What soon means, I don’t know,” coach Andy Enfield said after USC’s win over Eastern Washington on Wednesday night. “It’s not my decision.”

James didn't participate in pregame warmups and he didn’t join his teammates on the bench until late in the first half of their 106-78 rout. He joked and smiled with the other reserves and he stood at the rear of the huddles during timeouts.

The Trojans (5-2) play No. 11 Gonzaga in Las Vegas on Saturday. Their next home game is Dec. 10 against Long Beach State before they begin a stretch of four straight road games.

USC fell out of the AP Top 25 poll this week after a two-point loss to Oklahoma last week.

“We didn't anticipate half our team being hurt for the first 2 1/2 to 3 weeks of the season,” Enfield said, citing injuries to Boogie Ellis and Kobe Johnson. “Bronny's been out and we have no guards left, we have very limited guards.”

While James will be a welcome addition to USC's rotation, he'll need time to acclimate to game action. He has been on the court for pregame warmups twice in recent weeks, doing some rebounding and taking shots but also watching his teammates. He's also been at practices.

The son of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James was found to have a congenital heart defect that was treatable. The younger James suffered a cardiac arrest in July during a workout at Galen Center.

James was a McDonald’s All-American just like his father. The 6-foot-3 guard played at Sierra Canyon School in the Chatsworth section of Los Angeles and chose to stay close to home in picking USC.