"Gave me chills" - LeBron James' banana boat brother hails Bronny James' return to court after recovering from health scare
Bronny James, LeBron James’ son, made his widely anticipated collegiate basketball debut for the University of Southern California Trojans on Sunday after experiencing a cardiac arrest during a workout in July. His return to the court sparked buzz among NBA personalities.
Among the NBA players who tuned into Bronny’s debut was one of LeBron James’ best friends, Dwyane Wade.
“Watching Bronny walk out on that court gave me chills… Welcome back to the game you love Bronny,” Wade tweeted.
Bronny dons the No. 6 jersey, a number LeBron James wore during his four-year stint with the Miami Heat when he was teammates with Wade.
Bronny's first college bucket was a 3-pointer.
Bronny's Draft Digest profile describes him as a compact combo guard, compensating for his shorter stature with a robust physique, athleticism, high IQ and agility.
His profile reads:
“He makes smart plays, has good vision and natural feel. He has been around the game his whole life and obviously had a mentor in his dad, who is one of the smartest players the game has ever seen.”
According to a report by Jeff Goodman from The Messenger, there is speculation that James might be chosen in the late first round of the upcoming NBA draft despite the health concerns surrounding him.
“The hope is that Bronny can stay healthy and impact USC for the remainder of the season,” Goodman said. “The NBA execs I’ve spoken to have been intrigued by Bronny’s game and development, but most slotted him as a late first-rounder in a weak NBA draft. That was also prior to the heart issues.”
LeBron James fulfills promise, shows up to Bronny’s USC debut
LeBron James, on multiple occasions, emphasized that he wouldn't miss his son's collegiate debut, and he fulfilled this promise as he showed up at the game.
Earlier this month, LeBron said he was willing to miss a game for the LA Lakers just to see his son hoop.
"Whenever he's cleared and ready to have his first game, I already told my teammates that if they play on the same day we're playing, I'm going to have to catch them the next game," James said.
"Family over everything ... But definitely got to see Bronny's first game whenever he's cleared and ready to go."
LeBron did not have to skip a game. There were no NBA games on Sunday, the day after the LA Lakers beat the Indiana Pacers 123-109 for the first NBA Cup.
Bronny is the first member of the James family to attend college, as LeBron went straight to the NBA after high school.