The summer of 2023 was like none other for LeBron James and his family. His eldest son, Bronny James, had just suffered a cardiac scare during a workout, and his NBA dreams and the four-time NBA MVP’s dream of playing with his son hung in the balance.
The 6-foot-3 Bronny, who committed to USC, was a McDonald's All-American in high school. Everyone looked forward to his college days but had to wait until late 2023 to see him play. Eventually, most weren’t convinced he would be a pro after his first year.
Health issues slowed him down
The younger James averaged just 4.8 points per game in college, and even though he displayed good athleticism in the draft combine, many still attributed his chances of being drafted to his father. The Los Angeles Lakers picked him at No. 55 overall, and the whole idea was that they did so to make LeBron happy.
It was a big letdown for a kid who, one minute, was a high school superstar and was lying on the bed of a hospital the next, not knowing if he could still play the game. He returned to the court, but his game never looked the same. Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal knows exactly how it feels for the James family, especially having seen his son go through an almost similar ordeal.
“I kind of know what he’s going through because my son Shareef is still trying,” said the retired big man. “He was a good player; he had a heart attack situation still trying to get in, so the only thing for kids like that is that they have a lot of pressure because of their last name.”
Shareef O’Neal didn’t play his freshman year in college due to a heart condition that eventually required surgery. He would have decided to stop playing, and no one would blame him. But he has been trying to find his feet as a player since then.
Related: "I wondered myself why he wasn't on the team" - Larry Bird knew Dream Team selection process would result in controversies
The father’s legacy
Bron and Bronny will be the first father-son duo to play in the NBA, and if not for anything, that’s a record anyone would treasure. As the son of arguably the greatest NBA player of all time, James Jr. will always be placed under the microscope to see how he plays in the NBA. Something any young rookie doesn't need is to be compared with someone who is the all-time NBA leading scorer.
“They don’t even get the opportunity to do what they want; they’re always going to be compared to us,” O’Neal added.
LeBron’s major relief is that his son still had the chance to play basketball again and get drafted into the NBA after that cardiac scare last year. Earlier that same year, a high school senior in Detroit suffered cardiac arrest while playing a game, and he died a week later.
Bronny's resolve to fight that health scare and still pursue his basketball dreams shows every day. Despite what the media thinks, he made his way as a professional.
Related: "This is the travesty that people are not realizing" - Kwame Brown goes off on Bronny James for getting a chance ahead of more proven players
Local News
