LeBron opens up about traumatic Bronny James scare in new Netflix series

The Los Angeles Lakers made history when Bronny James and LeBron James shared the court during a recent preseason game. It was the official dawn of the era of the first father-son duo in NBA history, with the James family taking center stage against the Phoenix Suns.

Roughly a year before they became teammates, however, the James family endured a life-altering experience that turned their world upside down.

Bronny James was preparing for a highly-anticipated freshman season with the USC Trojans when tragedy struck on July 24, 2023. He went into cardiac arrest during a pre-season workout, and it was later revealed that he has a congenital heart defect that can be treated and monitored moving forward.

During the third and fourth episodes of Netflix's new NBA series, Starting Five, LeBron James opened up about the helpless experience of having to watch his son endure a life-threatening event.

"When I knew he was healthy enough to play basketball, it was an unbelievable feeling. But it's just a lot of nerves, for sure. A lot of nerves. Because we almost lost him."

James continued:

"You know, you never, ever, in all the [expletive] that you think about that can happen wrong throughout life, or whatever the case may be, you never ever think about your kids. It's just they're kids. You don't ever think about anything happening bad to your kids. You're like, 'I protect the kids. They're protected.' They're young, great health. You know, if anything is gonna happen, it's gonna be us, our friends, or it's... You know, you don't ever think about your [expletive] kids. And when something traumatic like that happens, it's like, 'Oh [expletive], things need to be put in perspective.'"

It's an experience that no one would wish on another soul, let alone a parent whose child is going through something that could take their life.

LeBron James opens up about Bronny James going into cardiac arrest

Bronny James inevitably faced unimaginable hurdles during his freshman season at USC. The Trojans played their first game of the 2023-24 college basketball season just over three months after James was fighting for his life.

In turn, James missed eight games during his freshman season, as well as invaluable time with his teammates and coaches in practice due to his recovery from a near-death experience.

It's the fact that's been most consistently overlooked when discussing the manner in which James played as a freshman. His defensive intensity persisted, but the narrative surrounding his offensive flaws has routinely ommitted the fact that he nearly lost his life just before the start of the season.

Instead of judging a former four-star recruit and McDonald's All-American on how he played less than five months after going into cardiac arrest, he should be applauded for getting back on the court at all.

From LeBron James' perspective, the terror of nearly losing his son is unimaginable. It's something that no parent should have to go through, let alone the person who's experiencing the horror of the medical condition itself.

The James family being willing to speak about the experience on Starting 5 is also a credit to their transparency about an experience that could impact any family in any walk of life.

Thankfully, Bronny James is healthy and preparing for a landmark rookie season alongside his father. The duo will be the primary focus of news outlets whenever they take the court, as Bronny looks to write the first chapter of his NBA career and LeBron continues to rewrite the record books.

After overcoming a devastatingly traumatic experience, Bronny and LeBron James have a historic opportunity to play as teammates in Los Angeles.