LeBron James’ son Bronny scored four points in 16 minutes off the bench in his college basketball debut Sunday, more than four months after suffering a cardiac arrest during a July practice.
With his father looking on from courtside at the Galen Center, James entered USC’s 84-79 overtime loss to Long Beach State with 12 minutes, 58 seconds left in the first half. He grabbed a rebound 1:25 later and missed a 3-point shot four seconds after that.
The 19-year-old freshman made his second shot, a 3-pointer with 13:10 left in the second half that increased the Trojans’ lead to 56-46.
The Beach used 10-2 and 8-2 runs to take a 72-71 lead with 1:05 left in regulation. Boogie Ellis made a layup with 42 seconds to play in regulation and James a free throw with 21 seconds remaining in regulation to put USC ahead 74-72.
Long Beach State guard Marcus Tsohonis made a jump shot with three seconds left in regulation, tying the score and forcing overtime.
James played the first 2:42 of overtime and did not take a shot.
The Trojans (5-4) never led in the five-minute overtime, missing six of seven shots and three of six free throws. Guard Isaiah Collier made the first of two free throws with 35 seconds left to cut the deficit to 80-79, but missed the second.
Tsohonis made four free throws over the final 31 seconds to seal the victory for the Beach (7-4).
James made one of three shots, one of two free throws, had three rebounds, two assists, two steals and a blocked shot in front of a sellout crowd announced at 9,806, the largest crowd at the Galen Center for a USC men’s game since March 1, 2022, when 10,258 were in attendance for a 91-71 loss to Arizona.
“I just want to say I’m thankful for everything — Mayo Clinic, everything they helped me with, James said. “My parents and siblings are supporting me through this hard time in my life. I just want to give appreciation to everyone that’s helped me through this.
“Also my coach, my teammates, and my other coaches. They’ve been with me since the start. I just want to say I’m thankful.”
Trojans coach Andy Enfield said he thought James “played well.”
“He defended at a high level, he rebounded well, had two steals, two assists and made the three, so I thought he was very solid,” Enfield said.
Collier and forward Vincent Iwuchukwu scored 15 each to lead USC, which led 45-30 at halftime.
Tsohonis led all scorers with 28 in 28 minutes off the bench, with 23 points after halftime. Tsohonis made 11 of 13 free throws and three of six 3-point shots.
James participated Thursday in his first full-contact practice at USC, without any limitations, the final step in his return to basketball.
He suffered a cardiac arrest during a practice at Galen Center on July 24. He was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he was initially treated in intensive care. He was discharged from the hospital three days later.
In August, the James family said that after comprehensive initial and follow-up exams, “the probable cause of Mr. James’ sudden cardiac arrest has been identified. It is an anatomically and functionally significant congenital heart defect which can and will be treated. We are very confident in Bronny’s full recovery and return to basketball in the very near future.”
James’ family announced Nov. 30 that he had been cleared by doctors for a “full return to basketball.”
A 6-foot-4-inch, 210-pound combo guard, James is billed by USC as having “elite basketball instincts and toughness with the ability to score from anywhere on the court.” He averaged 13.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.8 steals as a senior at Sierra Canyon High in Chatsworth, and was ranked as the No. 19 overall recruit in the 2023 recruiting class by ESPN.com.
James scored 15 points on 5-for-8 shooting from three-point range with four assists in the McDonald’s All-American game.
LeBron James has said he would like to play long enough to play alongside his son in the NBA.