Bronny James cleared for return to basketball 4 months after cardiac arrest
19-year-old to resume practice with USC next week, play games 'soon after'
Bronny James has been cleared by doctors for a full return to basketball four months after suffering a cardiac arrest, and the Southern California freshman is expected to make his collegiate debut soon.
A James family spokesperson said in a statement Thursday that the 19-year-old will have a final evaluation with USC staff this week and resume practice next week. He will be able to play in games "soon after," it said.
"The heart specialists have cleared him, which is great," coach Andy Enfield said Thursday after practice, "and now it's a matter of getting him back on the court next week hopefully to begin working out with the team full contact."
James didn't participate in pregame warmups Wednesday night and he didn't join his teammates on the bench until late in the first half of their 106-78 rout of Eastern Washington. He joked and smiled with the other reserves and he stood at the rear of the huddles during timeouts.
"That's not my decision and it's probably too early to speculate," Enfield said. "He's been out of basketball for quite a few months, so we'll be patient with him and once we get the green light we'll get him into games."
USC fell out of the AP Top 25 poll this week after a two-point loss to Oklahoma last week.
"We're excited, but we'll be even more excited when he's actually out there with us playing," leading scorer Boogie Ellis said. "That's definitely a piece that we're missing."
While James will be a welcome addition to USC's rotation, he'll need time to acclimate to game action. He has been on the court for pregame warmups twice in recent weeks, doing some rebounding and taking shots but also watching his teammates. He's also been at practices.
"We're all ready to have him back," said forward Kijani Wright, who played in high school with James. "It'll just be another guard component that we have, add more fire."
Iwuchukwu was the top player off the bench Wednesday night, with 13 points, six rebounds and two blocks.
James was found to have a congenital heart defect that was treatable. He suffered a cardiac arrest in July during a workout at Galen Center.
James was a McDonald's All-American just like his father. The 6-foot-3 guard played at Sierra Canyon School in the Chatsworth section of Los Angeles and chose to stay close to home in picking USC.
