Bronny James made his NCAA basketball debut for USC on Sunday with dad LeBron James in the crowd, four months after he suffered a cardiac arrest during a team practice.
The Trojans guard, 19, was cheered on by his dad, 38, and sister Zhuri Nova during the game against Long Beach State — which USC ultimately lost, 84-79.
Video posted to social media platform X — formerly known as Twitter — shows LeBron sitting courtside and cheering on his son throughout the game.
On Instagram, LeBron took to his Instagram stories to share a series of posts in support of his son, including one from Nike with a photo of Bronny and a caption reading “the next step to greatness.”
SportsCenter also shared a clip of LeBron proudly filming his son’s collegiate debut, which many online called “wholesome” and “adorable.”
“Say what you want about LeBron, but dude filming his kid’s game is unbelievably real and incredibly wholesome,” one commenter wrote. “There’s hundreds upon thousands of cameras and eyes on the event, and he wants a video from his phone. Love it.”
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In one clip, the proud dad can be seen jumping up out of his seat after Bronny sank a three-pointer to score his first ever points in a USC jersey.
“First Bucket,” Bronny posted on X, sharing a slow-mo clip of his three-point basket.
Another video shows Bronny pulling off an impressive block as one of Long Beach State’s players went to dunk the ball in the hoop.
“BLOCKED BY BRONNY JAMES,” wrote Complex Sports on X. “Just like pops.”
Bronny is the oldest of LeBron and wife Savannah James’ three children. They also share Bryce Maximus, 16, and Zuri, 9.
According to Sporting News, Bronny played a total of 16 minutes and scored three points for the Trojans. He also pulled off three rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block.
In a statement to ET in November, a spokesperson for the James family confirmed that Bronny had been cleared by doctors to play following his cardiac event
“Bronny James is now cleared by his doctors for a full return to basketball,” the statement reads. “Bronny will have a final evaluation with USC staff this week, resume practice next week, and return to games soon after.”
The statement continues, “The James family would like to express their gratitude to the incredible medical team, the entire USC community, and especially the countless friends, family, and fans for their love and support. Fight On!”
On July 24, Bronny went into cardiac arrest during a preseason practice. His collapse during practice prompted a trip to the hospital and further testing, which revealed a congenital heart defect.
In October, LeBron gave an update on his son’s status and said that he was in rehab and preparing to make his return.
“Bronny is doing extremely well,” LeBron said at Lakers Media Day. “He has begun his rehab process to get back on the floor this season with his teammates at USC. (With) the successful surgery that he had, he’s on the up-and-up. It’s definitely a whirlwind, a lot of emotions for our family this summer,” LeBron said.
“But the best thing we have is each other and we stuck behind each other and gave each other strength through the whole process. We are happy to see where he is today and we look forward to seeing what his future still has in store for him,” the NBA all-star said.
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