Among the ones are Bronny, I. Thomas, Las Vegas, and Livingston.
Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN says that Bronny James has been cleared to make his college debut after practicing alongside his Trojans peers several times this week. He will be able to play on Sunday when USC plays Long Beach State.
Bronny James is a freshman guard and the son of Lakers great LeBron James. He was thought to be a possible top pick for the 2024 NBA draft until he had a heart attack in July. After being out for less than five months, he’s about to go back to court.
Andy Enfield, the head coach of USC, says that Bronny is going to come off on the sidelines and will only play for a certain number of minutes.
Enfield said last week, “It’s just going to take getting a feel of how the game’s going, how he’s playing, and the way he feels body-wise.”
Sunday will be a very sad day for him and his friends. Though, I think he’ll get used to it as the game goes on. For now, we’ll just play each half as well as see where he stands.
A few months after having a cardiac arrest, the highly regarded rookie guard played his first game for the USC Trojans on Sunday against Long Beach State inside the Galen Center in Los Angeles.
The sold-out home crowd gave James a standing ovation when he checked to the game for the initial time seven minutes into the game.
Then, with less than 30 seconds left in the game and USC still ahead by one point, James made a big steal.
LeBron James, his father, was on the court taking pictures with his phone. On Saturday, he won the NBA’s first in-season tournament title.
On defense, Bronny had his first play that would make it onto a highlight reel. James, who wears the number 6 like his dad, stopped a fast-break layup with a block that looked a lot like LeBron’s.
Bronny missed the only field goal he tried in the first half, a 3-pointer. But on his first shot for the second half, he made it, a turnaround three-pointer that gave him his first point in college.
In 16 minutes of play, James scored four points (1-for-3 from three-point range, 1-for-2 free throws), grabbed three rebounds, gave out two assists, stole two balls, and blocked one shot.
But the 49ers beat the Trojans 84–79 in overtime after the Trojans were outscored 54–34 in the last 25 minutes of the game.
“I thought Bronny played well,” Andy Enfield, head coach of USC, said. “He was very good at defense.” Pretty well, he kept an eye on the other team’s quick ballhandlers.
James had a heart attack on July 24 while practicing at the Galen Center. Before taking him to the hospital, the school’s medical professionals took care of him.
Doctors found that James had a preventable congenital pulse defect, which is most likely what caused his heart to stop beating.
James was given the all-clear to play basketball again on November 30, and he had his first full-contact workout on Thursday.
“I just want to say I’m thankful for everything,” James told a bunch of reporters after the game.
He thanked the Mayo Clinic for taking care of him, as well as his siblings, parents, coach, and friends for being there for him “during a difficult period in my life.”
Amen Thompson, who was picked fourth in the draft, will play again on Monday. The Rockets no longer have him on their list of injured players.
CNN’s Jonathan Feigen says that Thompson will be put back in the rotation right away when his team plays San Antonio. He hasn’t played since November 1 because he sprained his right ankle.
Coach Ime Udoka said, “The plan is to put him back in the lineup.” “Of course, some of our players are playing well, so we need to find them minutes and chances. Once we get him in with some groups, we’ll make some changes to our rotation.”