LeBron James was not on the court for one of the most significant games for him last season.
It was not a Lakers game or even an NBA game.
It was the December 10 matchup between USC and Long Beach Statewhile his eldest son, Broni Jamesmade his collegiate debut with the Trojans less than five months ago after suffering sudden cardiac arrest.
“Every minute he ran, every minute he jumped, took a hit to his chest — there’s just a lot of nerves for sure,” LeBron James said during an interview on the Netflix docuseries, “Starting 5.” “For me, the best play of the whole game is when the game is over and he leaves on his own, in his own power.”
LeBron and Bronny James are now Lakers teammatesafter Los Angeles drafted Bronny with the 55th overall pick in june
Read more: Lakers LeBron James, Bronny James play together in an NBA preseason game for the first time
Less than a year earlier, during a July 25 Trojans practice, Bronny James collapsed on the floor of Galeno Center. The family later said the probable cause of his sudden cardiac arrest was identified as “anatomically and functionally significant congenital heart defect.”
“Shout out to the top man, one, to the entire coaching staff, coaching staff, members of that program,” LeBron James said in the docuseries. “They are the reason Bronny is alive now and smiling and thriving and doing what every 19-year-old should be doing, which is living his dream.”
James described the period of time following the incident as “a tough few months, seeing our son go through the things that he went through personally. I mean, it affected all of us in our household.”
Read more: Bronny James suffers heart attack at USC practice: Complete coverage
His wife, and Bronny’s mother, Savannah James got choked up discussing that time about “Starting 5.”
“It was hard,” she said. “I think we processed it in a different way. I think at the end of the day, it was just about us supporting each other and just being very grateful for the result.”
“Starting 5” chronicles the 2023-24 seasons of James and fellow NBA superstars Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat, Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Domantas Sabonis of the Sacramento Kings and Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics.
A significant part of one episode focuses Bronny James’ first game with USC. The night before, LeBron James helped the Lakers defeat the Indiana Pacers 123-109 to win the NBA’s first in-season tournament title in Las Vegas. Then, Jacob said, he got on a plane he could be there for his son.
“I know he had to be nervous as hell because I was nervous as hell,” LeBron James said.
Bronny James said of the docuseries: “There were a lot of butterflies, but that’s to be expected. Every game it pretty much feels the same way.”
The freshman guard recorded four points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block in 16 minutes during an 84-79 Trojans loss in overtime that must have felt like a huge win for the James family.
“Seeing your kid be able to thrive and be able to live his dream is one thing,” LeBron James said emotionally. “But seeing your kid go through adversity and being able to overcome adversity is another. Because you have to imagine how, the last time he was on a basketball floor doing anything live, he was taken out on a boardwalk going to the hospital.”
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
