LeBron James has made it clear that he wouldn’t let a Los Angeles Lakers game get in the way of witnessing his eldest son’s debut on the University of Southern California men’s basketball team.
The NBA star told the press Thursday night that he would skip a Lakers obligation if it fell on the same day that his son, LeBron “Bronny” James Jr., plays his first game with the school’s team.
“I’m looking forward to his first game. ... I already told my teammates that if they play on the same day we’re playing that I might have to catch them next game,” he said after a Lakers loss in Oklahoma City. “Family over everything,” he later added.
“I’ve definitely got to see Bronny’s first college game whenever he’s cleared and ready to go,” he said.
A representative for the James family announced on Thursday that Bronny James was cleared by his doctors to fully return to basketball after he suffered a cardiac arrest during a basketball workout at USC in July.
The 19-year-old is now set to have a final evaluation with USC staff, the statement said, adding that he was expected to attend practice next week and “return to games soon after.”
It’s unclear when exactly Bronny James will make his USC basketball game debut. The Los Angeles Lakers and the USC Trojans are set to play on the same day twice toward the end of this month — Dec. 28 and Dec. 30.
LeBron James said during a press conference in October that his son was “doing extremely well” with his recovery. The family had revealed in August that the teen’s cardiac arrest was due to a congenital heart defect.
The Lakers player shares Bronny, 16-year-old son Bryce, and 8-year-old daughter Zhuri James with his wife, Savannah James.
The 38-year-old basketball legend has often discussed his desire to one day play in the NBA alongside Bronny James, and recently hinted in a headphones ad that he also hopes to play alongside his youngest son.
Bryce James, who announced in October that he received an offer to play basketball at Ohio State University, wouldn’t be eligible to join the NBA until 2026, when his dad will be 41 at the start of the season.