LeBron James’s son Bronny James made his college debut on Sunday. He scored four points in 16 minutes off the bench as USC lost 84-79 at Long Beach State in overtime. Over four months had passed since Bronny’s cardiac episode during a drill in July, when this defeat occurred.

With 12 minutes and 58 seconds left in the first half, James entered the game at the Galen Center, his father by his side. Four seconds after snatching a rebound at 1:25, he failed to make a three-point shot.

The 19-year-old rookie made his second effort at a three-pointer with 13:10 left in the half to give the Trojans a 56-46 lead.

With 1:05 left in regulation, the 49ers’ lead grew to 72-71 thanks to runs of 10-2 and 8-2. In the last 42 seconds of regulation, Boogie Ellis made a layup, and in the final 21 seconds, James made a free throw, giving USC a 74-72 lead.

Long Beach State guard Marcus Tsohonis tied the game and forced overtime with a jump jumper with three seconds remaining in regulation.

James was in action for the initial 2:42 of overtime without attempting a shot. One of six attempts was made by USC during the five-minute overtime period. The final four points were tallied by the Beach (7-4) via Tsohonis’ free throws.

James contributed one free throw, one of three attempts, two assists, two thefts, and a blocked shot to his totals.

James participated without restriction in his first full-contact practice at USC on Thursday, marking the concluding phase of his basketball comeback.

On July 24, he encountered cardiac arrest while participating in a practice at Galen Center. He was initially treated in intensive care at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he was transported. He was released from the medical facility after a duration of three days.

After thorough initial and follow-up exams, the James family declared in August that “the probable cause of Mr. James’ sudden cardiac arrest has been identified.” It is a curable congenital heart abnormality of significant biological and anatomical consequence. Regarding Bronny’s full recuperation and his impending comeback to basketball, we are very hopeful.

On November 30, James’s family announced that his doctors have cleared him to make a “complete return to basketball.”

James, a 6-foot-4-inch combination guard with 210 pounds, is described by USC as having “elite basketball instincts and toughness, as well as the ability to score from anywhere on the court.” Skillful, finishing the season with 13.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.8 steals, he was a senior at Chatsworth’s Sierra Canyon High. He was ranked 19th overall in the 2023 recruiting class by ESPN.com.

During the McDonald’s All-American game, James scored five points on five of eight three-point attempts and provided four assists.

LeBron James has stated that he hopes to play in the NBA for a long enough period of time to witness his firstborn enter the league.