Savannah James shares tearful reaction watching Bronny's NBA debut: "My stomach was doing backflips"
When Bronny James made his NBA debut alongside his dad, Savannah James' stomach could barely contain itself. Although Bronny's NBA debut didn't include a highlight-reel dunk or a box score for the ages, the moment was a historic one for both the James family and the NBA.
In addition to the Bronny-LeBron duo being the first father-son duo to grace the hardwood together, Bronny had also battled back from cardiac arrest before his lone year at USC. As Savannah James recalled in an interview with Bustle on Wednesday, she was anxious seeing the duo on screen together for the first time.
Following months of talk surrounding the Lakers' decision to pick him in the second round of the draft and a tough outing during the Summer League slate, Bronny's NBA debut finally arrived on Oct. 22, and it left Savannah teary-eyed:
"I didn’t get as emotional as I thought I would. When I saw them on the court on TV for the first time is when I cried. I was so anxious for the moment to happen. I felt all the anxiety in the arena, and I knew Bronny would be nervous.
"So the whole time, I was just like, 'OK, God. Just give me his anxiety, any nervousness, any self-doubt — give that to me so he can go and do what he needs to do for himself.' And that’s what happened, because my stomach was doing backflips. So it was a lot of feels, but all good feels."
"I still feel so young at heart" - Savannah James explains how hard it is to believe that she has a 20-year-old in the NBA
Savannah James and LeBron James have been together since the two were teenagers in high school. Because of that, Savannah James finds it hard to believe that she's now the mother of a 20-year-old NBA player.
Even though Savannah is still only 38 years old, she finds herself baffled by the fact that she has a 20-year-old son in the NBA. On top of that, her youngest son, Bryce, isn't that far behind, and is already on the radar of NBA fans despite still being in high school. She said:
"I cannot believe I have a 20-year-old in the NBA. I still feel so young at heart. Every time Bronny comes here and has his little luggage, I’m like, 'Where you goin'?'
"It’s crazy! But I’m so happy for him; so happy to [be on the other side of] the journey that we’ve gotten through with him. Every time I see him, I’m just so happy."
As Brian Windhorst reported on Wednesday, Bronny James isn't playing in road games for the South Bay Lakers while on assignment in the G League. Even though LA's plan for him is to bounce back and forth between the NBA and the G League, the franchise doesn't want him traveling with South Bay.
The team will be in action Friday when they play the Santa Cruz Warriors on the road, however, it sounds like Bronny won't be in action until Sunday, when South Bay hosts the Stockton Kings.