LeBron James is wishing a happy birthday to his son, Bronny.
The basketball legend, 38, took to Instagram on Friday to celebrate Bronny’s 19th birthday with a set of photos of the duo smiling for the camera.
“On and off the court you’re the goat @bronny!!” the proud dad wrote, adding the goat emoji to refer to his son as the “greatest of all time.” “Happy Born-Day son!!! Love you forever kid. Keep going up!”
Bronny’s birthday comes just three months after a major health scare during which the University of Southern California freshman went into cardiac arrest during a workout with his basketball team. He was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and stabilized, and was released from the hospital three days later.
Bronny was ultimately diagnosed with a treatable congenital heart defect, according to a statement released by the James family.
“After a comprehensive initial evaluation at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center led by Dr. Merije Chukumerije and follow-up evaluations at the Mayo Clinic led by Dr. Michael J. Ackerman and Atlantic Health/Morristown Medical Center led by Dr. Matthew W. Martinez, the probable cause of Mr. James’ sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) has been identified. It is an anatomically and functionally significant Congenital Heart Defect which can and will be treated,” the statement read.
Despite the significance of his condition, the statement went on to say that the family is “very confident in Bronny’s full recovery” and that he would be able to “return to basketball in the very near future. We will continue to provide updates to media and respectfully reiterate the family’s request for privacy.”
By the end of July, Bronny was resuming several of his old activities, like heading out to dinner and playing the piano with his family. In a short video captured by his dad, Bronny could be seen smiling as he played a tune with his younger siblings in the background.
“GRAND RISING!! God Is Great!” Lebron shared in an Instagram video of his son. “YOU ARE AMAZING!!! Simple as that! Keep going Young King!!! We’re here right with you every step of the way!”
Following the episode, Bronny was said to be “doing very well,” USC head coach Andy Enfield told ESPN after a USC practice. “But we just can’t comment on anything medically. He’s going to class and doing extremely well in school, and we’re really excited for him.”
Enfield went on to tell ESPN that he anticipates Bronny “being a very valuable part of our basketball team,” and that he’s already excelling in the classroom.
“So that’s why we’ll miss that here until he gets back,” he continued. “But he’s certainly a big part of our team.”
Bronny has long had the support of his father, who once claimed on social media that Bronny is “definitely better than some cats I’ve been watching on league pass today.” He elaborated in an interview with The Oregonian, stating that he believed Bronny could “go to any college he wants to. All I have to do is pick up the phone. If Bronny says he wants to go there, he’s good enough.”
Following the news that Bronny committed to USC, Lebron told People how proud he was of his son for choosing to attend “a great university.”
“I’m proud of him. This is an incredible thing,” the Space Jam: A New Legacy star shared. “Unless it was one of my great-grandmothers or great-grandfathers or someone way before my time, to my knowledge this is the first one out of the James Gang to go to college. It’s very, very, very, very exciting, very humbling and a great moment for our family.”
