LeBron “Bronny” James Jr. made his collegiate debut with his team, the University of Southern California Trojans, Sunday, months after suffering a cardiac arrest episode during a summer workout session.
The standout freshman, who came off the bench and was on minute restriction made by his head coach Andy Enfield, tallied four points (on 1-3 shooting), 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 block in 16 minutes in his team 84-79 overtime loss to Long Beach State, according to ESPN.
The debut of LeBron James’ eldest child brought out a sold out crowd and a filled-out student section to its contest against its in-state rival, as some fans attended the game wearing either James Jr. USC Trojans jerseys or his father’s Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers jerseys, according to the Washington Post.
James Jr.’s father, who led his team to win the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament championship against the Indiana Pacers, also attended Bronny’s first game along with his daughter, Zhuri, and his mother, Gloria.
In a short, brief statement after his first contest, Bronny James expressed his gratitude for being back on the court.
“I just want to say I’m thankful for everything: [to] the Mayo Clinic and everything they helped me with, [and] my parents and siblings for supporting me through this hard time in my life,” James said, the Post reported.
“I just want to give appreciation for everyone who has helped me through this. Also, my coach and teammates have been with me since the start.”
It’s been months since James, a former Sierra Canyon School standout, suffered a cardiac arrest episode during a workout session at the school’s Galen Center. He was hospitalized for three days following his health scare and underwent a procedure to treat a congenital heart defect, ESPN reported.
James, a McDonald’s All-American, was recently cleared by doctors late last month to return to participate in basketball activates and went through two full contact practices before playing Sunday.
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