LeBron James and his wife Savannah reflected on their firstborn Bronny’s cardiac arrest over a year after he collapsed at training with the USC Trojans.
In July 2023, the James family and basketball fans were shocked by Bronny’s health scare. Fortunately, Bronny recovered, played a season with the Trojans, and was drafted to join LeBron in the Lakers.
Speaking on the pilot of Netflix’s new docuseries, Starting 5, the proud parents candidly addressed the impact of Bronny’s cardiac arrest.
‘I think at the end of the day, it was just about us supporting each other and just being super grateful for the outcome,’ a tearful Savannah said.
The episode also featured a clip of LeBron and his mother Gloria James visiting USC. During their trip, they met medical staff member Erin who was the first to respond after Bronny collapsed in practice.
LeBron and Savannah James reflected on their son Bronny’s cardiac arrest last year
In July 2023, Bronny collapsed while practicing with the USC Trojans and underwent surgery
‘Shout out to the man above,’ LeBron said in his interview as footage of Gloria meeting the medical responder is shown. ‘And to the whole coaching staff, training staff, members of that program,’ LeBron continued, calling Erin a ‘lifesaver, literally.’
‘Erin performed CPR on Bronny when he went down,’ LeBron told his mother during their visit to the university.
The four-time NBA champion also noted that the school’s medical staff is ‘the reason Bronny is alive now and smiling and thriving and doing what any 19-year-old should be doing, and that’s living out their dream.’
Bronny was diagnosed with ‘an anatomically and functionally significant congenital heart defect’ in August. He underwent a successful surgery before playing 25 games in cardinal and gold.
In the same interview, LeBron shared how his junior’s biggest concern was getting back to the court.
After one season in college, Bronny was drafted by the Lakers with the 55th overall pick
LeBron and Savannah pose with their three children; Bronny, Bryce, and Zhuri
‘It’s crazy with kids when they love something and they want something, that’s all that matters to them,’ LeBron explained in the show. ‘As a parent, you’re like, ‘You had a cardiac arrest, like…,’ and in his mind he’s like, ‘Can I or can I not play ball again and if the answer is yes, when can I play ball again?’ I love that.’
‘Bronny’s the first person in the family to go to college,’ LeBron explained, sharing that he loves seeing his son ‘playing the game he loves’. But more importantly, LeBron rejoiced ‘to see where [Bronny] is as a young man.’
‘You’re like, wow, it could have been, you know, so much more worse for our family,’ he added.
After his lone college season, Bronny entered the NBA Draft and was historically selected by the Lakers with the 55th overall pick. The father-and-son tandem set foot on the court together in a preseason game against the Phoenix Suns on Oct. 6.
In an interview on the Today show, LeBron called playing with Bronny ‘the greatest thing that’s ever happened.’
‘There’s no greater accomplishment that will be able to overtake me being on the same floor as my son.’
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