The highly-anticipated college debut of Bronny James may happen before the end of the week. Respected NCAA basketball journalist Seth Davis has shared that Bronny is expected to be cleared this week and that he will likely make his debut on Sunday against Long Beach State.
“Last Thursday, James’s family announced that his doctor had cleared him to resume all basketball activities three and a half months after he collapsed and went into cardiac arrest during a team workout at USC’s Galen Center. James still needs to be cleared by USC’s medical staff, which is expected to happen sometime this week. There is still much uncertainty in this situation, and given the severity of what happened, no one is cutting corners. But it is looking increasingly possible that James could see his first action when USC plays its next game on Sunday at home against Long Beach State.”
Bronny suffered a cardiac arrest while training with USC in September 2023. The extremely scary situation turned out to not put Bronny’s life in danger or stop him from returning to the court and keeping his NBA dream alive.
James could likely come off the bench as the backup to Isaiah Collier, a projected top-five pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. He could start alongside Collier over Boogie Ellis or Kobe Johnson, but it’s unlikely that will be the case in his debut.
LeBron James said he would miss a Lakers game if it coincided with Bronny’s debut, but that won’t be the case if the Lakers make a run to the In-Season Tournament Finals, as James would then play on Saturday in the Championship game and have Sunday to attend Bronny’s game.
How Is Bronny Looking On The Court?
The public hasn’t seen Bronny play basketball since his cardiac arrest, taking a few months to recover and then only playing in closed USC practices in a limited capacity. However, a few non-Trojans have seen Bronny in action, with one being Duke Blue Devil’s legend and ESPN analyst Jay Williams.
Williams told Seth Davis about Bronny’s game and mindset in a phone conversation after seeing him warm up before the Trojans’ Saturday loss to the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
“He seemed unafraid. There was a workmanlike approach to how he operated. You could tell he’s been around professionals. I asked him what he felt like he needed to improve on. He said, ‘My handle needs to be tighter, but that will come with reps.’ There was no cockiness. There was just confidence that he was going to figure it out.”
Given the environment Bronny has grown up in, it’s unlikely he’ll ever take his skills for granted. Despite his hype, Bronny has never been considered one of the elite players in his class, not even being named a five-star recruit until the latter half of his senior season. He has a lot to prove in terms of beating nepotism allegations and earning a spot in the NBA.
He has the opportunity to make a profound impact on the Trojans, who have started the season 5-3 and lost their status as a ranked top-25 team in the country. Long Beach State will come into the game as underdogs, so it’ll be the ideal situation for Bronny to make his debut.
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