“Family over everything.”
LeBron James’ highly recruited son, Bronny James, has been cleared to resume playing basketball just four months after a cardiac arrest. The plan is for him to go through some full practices with his USC teammates and then debut with the Trojans later this month.
When that happens, LeBron James says he told his teammates he will be courtside to watch his son even if that means missing.
“I definitely gotta see Bronny’s first college game whenever he’s cleared and ready to go.” LeBron James let #Lakers fans know he'll be out of the office for Bronny's debut. pic.twitter.com/kCBf9Ut0TJ
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) December 1, 2023
“It’s exciting. I’m looking forward to his first game… I already told my teammates that if they’re playing on the same day we’re playing, then I’m going to catch them the next game. Family over everything.”
Good on LeBron, he’s got his priorities in the right place. While the Lakers would struggle without him — the Lakers have been outscored by 13.9 points per 100 possessions when LeBron is off the court this season — he shouldn’t miss this milestone for his son for a December regular season game.
It also might not matter, the USC and Lakers schedules do not directly conflict until the end of this month.
The next USC game is at home is against Long Beach State (don’t overlook them, the Beach beat Michigan earlier this season) on Dec. 10. The Lakers are off that day. It is possible they could be playing the day before in Las Vegas in the In Season Tournament Finals, but if the Lakers reach that title game the trip back from Las Vegas to Los Angeles to watch Bronny the next day is no big deal.
After that, USC plays on Dec. 17 at Auburn (in Alabama), the Lakers are off that day but play the next day at home against the Knicks. USC then faces Alabama State on Dec. 19, the Lakers play the Bulls in Chicago on Dec. 20. It’s possible for LeBron to play in Los Angeles on the 18th, fly to Alabama to watch his son on the 19th, then bolt up to Chicago to play on the 20th, although it’s more likely Darvin Ham would tell LeBron to take a game off in there. If Bronny’s debut is delayed until the start of Pac-12 play — Dec. 28 at Oregon — LeBron would have a direct conflict because the Lakers host the Hornets that day, however, it feels like Bronny would play before then.
That this is a discussion at all is a good sign. Bronny suffered the cardiac arrest due to a congenital heart defect that, fortunately, was not serious enough to permanently keep him off the court after treatment. This is more than about basketball, it’s about a family and a young man getting to follow his dreams. He is fortunate to be healthy thanks to quick response and modern medicine.
And LeBron should put his family first.
