LeBron James will skip Lakers game to watch son's debut

After the younger James suffered a scary cardiac arrest in July, the James family and the USC Trojans got great news Thursday when Bronny was cleared for a full return to basketball. He's expected to return to practice next week, though he likely won't take the court for some time.

But when he does, his father will be there.

"I already told my teammates that if they play on the same day we playing," James told reporters, "Then I'm going to have to catch them next game."

Does that sound disloyal to his team? Not really. James is the oldest player in the NBA, and he's going to have to take a few games off if he's going to be fresh for the playoffs. Timing one of those absences to watch his son - who recently had a brush with death - seems very reasonable. The man is about to turn 39 years old! Let him be a dad for a second. D'Angelo Russell can carry the load for once.

USC basketball has started their season 5-2. Along with James, the Trojans also feature freshman Isaiah Collier, who could be the top pick in the 2024 NBA draft. They have a high-profile matchup with No. 11 Gonzaga on Saturday in Las Vegas, but James has already been ruled out of the contest.

Doctors at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles determined that a congenital heart defect was responsible for James's cardiac arrest in July, and that it "can and will be treated." They also expressed confidence that he'd be recovered and playing basketball in "the very near future."

LeBron James has repeatedly said that he'd like to play alongside his son before his career ends. Until then, he'll be supporting his son's first college game - no matter where the Lakers are.