LeBron James almost lost son Bronny James to a heart attack on court in a nightmarish incident before his NBA rise

LeBron James was the proudest — and the only — dad in the NBA when he was joined by his son, Bronny James, on the court for a game. The moment of pride stemmed not only from the 20-year-old joining him as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers but also from Bronny’s incredible return to the sport, nearly a year after suffering cardiac arrest on the court and undergoing heart surgery. Bronny’s comeback was more than just a topic of nepotism debate — it was a story of resilience after a life-threatening ordeal.

When LeBron James recalled Bronny’s heart surgery ahead of his NBA debut

Bronny was diagnosed with an anatomically and functionally significant congenital heart defect after he collapsed on the court while playing for the USC Trojans in July 2023. His life was saved thanks to the quick action of his school’s medical staff, one of whom administered timely CPR. He later underwent heart surgery to correct the issue. However, as LeBron James revealed, all Bronny could think about was when he could return to playing basketball.

Feeling emotional while talking about the incident on the Netflix docuseries Starting 5, LeBron said, "You're like, wow, it could have been, you know, so much more worse for our family." His emotions reflected both his love for watching Bronny play the game and his pride in how far his son had come after such a massive health scare at a young age.


Looking back at the moment the medical staff administered CPR as emergency first aid, LeBron credited them, saying they were "the reason Bronny is alive now and smiling, thriving, and doing what any 19-year-old should be doing and that’s living out their dream."

When Savannah James turned emotional on his NBA debut

Bronny’s mother, Savannah James, also turned emotional while speaking about his NBA debut after the heart surgery. Holding back tears, she said on the Everybody's Crazy podcast: "It was just an emotional moment. I watched my boy do something that is — I’m just so proud. I'm so proud. I would say that’s the craziest thing, 'cause I didn’t see it coming. It just hit me."

After playing for the USC Trojans in college, Bronny made history by playing alongside his father LeBron James for the Los Angeles Lakers in a preseason game last year. He was selected as the 55th overall pick in the NBA Draft. Standing at 6’1”, Bronny can play both point guard and shooting guard positions.

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As a rookie, he was frequently assigned to the South Bay Lakers of the NBA G League. This year, he averaged 2.3 points, 0.8 assists, and 0.7 rebounds across 23 regular-season appearances.



Game On Season 1 continues with Mirabai Chanu’s inspiring story. Watch Episode 2 here.