LeBron James Would Prioritize Son Bronny Over Lakers, at Least for a Night

LeBron James has been both a father and an NBA player long enough to understand which matters more.

On Thursday, the James family announced that his oldest son, Bronny, has been cleared by his doctors to return to the basketball court. Bronny collapsed in July at a practice and went into cardiac arrest. The problem was later revealed to be a congenital heart defect.

Following the Lakers' loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday evening, James described the "proud moment" of seeing his 19-year-old son overcome the adversity of the past three months, even when it wasn't certain whether Bronny would be able to play basketball again.

"You just put it in God's hands, man, and just trust it," James said at the press conference. "That's it. We prayed as a family. We had great doctors along the way the whole time, telling us that they believed things would work out for us in our favor, and [Bronny] took care of his business.

"He did everything. He didn't have any setbacks. He didn't try to rush the process of his rehab. He took every step according to plan, and for him to get that clearance over the last 48 hours was big time for him," James said.

James is often on the sidelines of his kid's games. Bronny committed to the University of Southern California last season, where he joins Isaiah Collier. James' middle child, Bryce, plays for Sierra Canyon School, which is Bronny's alma mater. James also performs the time-honored tradition of being an embarrassing parent for his daughter Zhuri at her volleyball games.

Over the years, James said, he learned that a health scare like Bronny's is a reminder that "nothing else matters besides your loved ones."

"It's literally, 'How do we help or help your loved one get better' from the moment that it happened all the way until they are successful," James said. "And it's still not like it's over. We still have to continue to monitor every situation. [Bronny] continues to still be responsible, things of that nature. But you just have an opportunity to kind of take a step back from your own personal life and give it all to the individual."

Accordingly, don't expect to see James on the court if a Lakers game coincides with Bronny's debut.

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

A teammate sitting near James during his press conference made a quizzical noise.

"Yeah, I told y'all on the plane," James said. Multiple teammates said "Ohh" skeptically.

"Family over everything, champs," James said, smiling. "I love y'all. But I've definitely got to see Bronny's first college game whenever he's cleared and ready to go."

James' teammates are probably in the clear. Unless Bronny returns on Saturday against No. 11 Gonzaga, the Lakers and Trojans don't have conflicting schedules until December 28, when USC plays Oregon and the Lakers play the 6-11 Charlotte Hornets.