‘My days aren’t normal anymore. I still feel like I’m getting back, I’m getting back to where I was.’
Bronny James opened up about his 2023 health scare while playing at the University of Southern California in a cover story for Men’s Health.
The 19-year-old shocked the basketball community when he was rushed to a hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest during a basketball workout at USC. He spent months in treatment and recovery ahead of being drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers to (everyone hopes) play alongside his dad, LeBron James.
Now, he’s working to show his value to the championship-contending team while maintaining his health.
“I got real on top of my routines to get back to where I was,” he explained to writer Hanif Abdurraqib. “I had to do breathing exercises and stuff. It was a total reset. I have to stay on top of my heart medications, and I got my heart pillow.
“My days aren’t normal anymore,” he added. “I still feel like I’m getting back, I’m getting back to where I was.”
Following his health scare, Bronny was diagnosed with a serious congenital heart defect that impacted both his anatomy and heart function. Following surgery, he was cleared to return playing in November 2023 before being drafted by the Lakers in June 2024.
As the son of the NBA’s biggest star, Bronny faces intense scrutiny playing alongside his father after spending just one year at USC. Critics have raised claims of nepotism regarding his spot on the Lakers and while comparing him to LeBron, a four-time NBA champion and one of the best players in league history.
But he’s ready.
“Everything I’ve been through over the years has prepared me for this,” explained Bronny. “I really think it just ties back to me experiencing so much negativity and pushing through all of that. I feel like it built me to where any situation that is trying to hold me back or I’m not fighting through at the time. I can sustain my comfortability and belief in myself to keep going.
“I mean, there might be a couple times that I look at something and it makes me mad, and I go out and play better, but most of the time, it’s in through one, out the other,” he added.
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