Bronny James made his college debut for Southern California on Sunday, coming off the bench against Long Beach State nearly five months after he suffered cardiac arrest.
James played six minutes in the first half as the Trojans went into the break with a 45-30 lead. In his second three-minute stint, James made a huge block on Jadon Jones, who was streaking to the basket. The Galen Center crowd cheered loudly, with James’s dad, LeBron, watching courtside.
James assisted on a dunk by Vincent Iwuchukwu, who also suffered cardiac arrest as a freshman. Iwuchukwu returned to play 14 games last season.
James entered the game about seven minutes into the first half, with some in the crowd standing and cheering. He missed his first shot, a three-point attempt. Moments before, he tipped the ball away from an opponent, but the visitors got it back. The possession ended in a shot-clock violation for Long Beach. James also snagged a rebound.
LeBron James arrived seconds before the national anthem, holding hands with his daughter, Zhuri, and tapped his son’s rear as he passed the Trojans who were lined up across the court for the anthem.
The NBA was well-represented in the game. One of James’ teammates is DJ Rodman, the son of Dennis Rodman. The Beach’s roster includes Chayce Polynice, the son of 15-year NBA veteran Olden Polynice.
James joined his teammates for on-court warmups 90 minutes before tipoff. Wearing a white USC shirt and red sweatpants, he took a variety of shots under the watchful lenses of a baseline full of photographers.
Students lined up around one side of Galen Center and down an adjacent street waiting to get inside. Although there were pockets of empty seats in the 10,258-seat arena, James’ debut helped the Trojans draw their largest crowd yet this season.
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James suffered cardiac arrest on 20 July during a workout at Galen Center. He was found to have a congenital heart defect that was treatable.
James was recently cleared by his doctors and USC’s medical staff to participate in full-contact practice. Previously, he had been limited to working out on his own doing weights, cardio and shooting.