LeBron James says his son is doing “extremely well” in a new update after he underwent “successful surgery” following cardiac arrest back in July.
Bronny James, 18, was hospitalised on 24 July after suffering from a heart complaint during basketball practice with the Trojans, the University of Southern California’s team.
He briefly lost consciousness and was rushed to the Cedar-Sinai Medical Center where he was put in intensive care.
He was discharged from intensive care the following night after he was stabilised.
There were reportedly no signs of any underlying health conditions and Bronny James even underwent a cardiac screening as part of the program for prospective NBA players, reports CNN.
However, since his cardiac arrest, doctors found out that Bronny had a congenital heart defect that “can and will be treated,” as spokesperson for the family said back in August.
His mega-star basketball father, LeBron James, 38, is even hoping that Bronny will be well enough for the 2024 NBA draft, which he was widely considered for before his cardiac arrest.
“Bronny’s doing extremely well,” Mr James told reporters at a Los Angeles Lakers media day. “He’s begun his rehab process to get back on the floor this season with his teammates and USC.”
“[After] the successful surgery that he had … he’s on the up and up. It’s definitely a whirlwind and a lot of emotions for our family this summer, but the best thing we have is each other.
“We stuck behind each other and gave Bronny strength throughout the whole process and we’re happy to see where he is today. We look forward to seeing what his future has in store for him.”
While Mr James has played for the NBA consecutively for 21 years, most recently joining the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018, he said at the conference he would be focusing more on his son this season.
LeBron James and his son Bronny— (AP)
“Nothing else matters besides my family,” James said. “And obviously I’m going to dedicate this season to Bronny because of the incident that happened this summer and understanding that it puts everything in perspective.
Bronny is reportedly back on the USC campus starting his classes again but has yet to rejoin Trojan practice as he intends to do.
“I can only imagine how it’s been for him because it’s been a lot for me, it’s been a lot for our family. But the man above definitely has given us a lot of strength and given Bronny the strength to bounce back,” his father said.
ESPN reached out to Bronny’s coach Andy Enfield, and while he could not expand on the basketball legacy’s recovery, he said “We’re really excited for him.”
Bronny was ranked as the No. 19 prospect in the ESPN 100 for the class of 2023 and earned McDonald’s All-American honours in his senior season.
Mr James in the Laker’s press conference was also asked about his own career. He said he “did not know” if this would be his last season in the NBA but did express some interest in representing Team USA in the upcoming Olympics.
“I’ll see how I feel at the end of this season, but from the players that we have here that I can think of off the top of my head that can fill that roster up, I don’t think it would be too much of a physical toll. I wouldn’t have to do much,” Mr James said with a grin, reports CNN.
