Bronny James is back in school in sunny Southern California, and he’s doing great after a scary moment during his workout last month. USC basketball coach Andy Enfield shared the good news on Monday.
You might know Bronny as the oldest son of the famous Los Angeles Lakers player, LeBron James. Well, Bronny had a bit of a health issue – a heart thing he was born with – that made him collapse during a workout. But don’t worry, he’s doing much better now.
Coach Enfield said, “The cool thing is he’s doing really well, and he’s back in class. We all care about him a lot.” He also said they’re hoping Bronny can play basketball again, but they’re taking it slow and being patient. Their plan is to help Bronny with school and sports and to see how things go step by step.
Back in July, Bronny suddenly fainted during a workout at the Galen Center at USC and had to go to the hospital. But after two days, he got to leave the hospital and go home.
Bronny’s family explained that he has a heart issue he was born with, but doctors can treat it. This heart thing is probably why he fainted. They didn’t give all the details, but they’re sure Bronny will recover and get back to playing basketball soon. The family asked everyone to respect their privacy while they go through this.
Doctors who know a lot about athletes’ hearts said that these heart issues show up when someone is still a baby in their mom’s tummy. Bronny’s family said his heart thing can be treated, and that’s really good news.
There’s this doctor, Meagan Wasfy, who knows about sports and hearts. She said, “Nobody wants sudden heart problems, but when there’s a way to lower the risk and let the athlete play again, that’s hopeful.” Basically, this means that while heart issues are scary, there are things doctors can do to help athletes play sports safely.
Remember when Bronny picked USC for college basketball? He had other options like Ohio State and Oregon, but he chose USC. Before his heart thing, he was doing great on the basketball court, scoring lots of points and grabbing rebounds. Coach Enfield thinks he’s a fantastic player and can really help their team win games.
Coach Enfield said, “Bronny comes from a great basketball family, but that didn’t change our interest in him. We’re always honest and told him about the cool stuff he could do at USC. His parents were super supportive during the whole process.”
Now, while everyone hopes Bronny can get back to playing basketball soon, we’re not exactly sure when that will happen. The Trojans, USC’s team, are scheduled to start playing on November 6 against Kansas State. Last year, they did pretty well, but they got knocked out of a big tournament. Let’s all cross our fingers for Bronny’s speedy recovery and his return to the basketball court!