There was rampant criticism when Bronny James earned a spot on the Los Angeles Lakers. There was also criticism cast toward LeBron James, the father who is believed to be responsible for luring the 20-year-old. However, with all the pressing talks it’s easy to forget history. In the case of the King, he got the biggest scare of his life during the summer of last year. As a star on Netflix’s ‘Starting 5’, James who is often composed seemed vulnerable when speaking about the moment.

Coming out of Sierra Canyon, Bronny James was among the top recruits. The entire basketball community geared up for his freshman season with USC. But on July 24, a trembling moment came to fruition. The now-NBA guard suffered a cardiac arrest during one of the practices and had to be rushed to the hospital. The emotional turmoil weighed heavily on LeBron James. “We almost lost our son in the summertime,” he said in the Netflix series snippet.

The college freshman spent three days in the hospital. During his recovery stages, there possibility of him never playing the sport he so dearly loves had to be painfully addressed. As the father, the incident shook James to his core. He appeared visibly emotional when recalling the incident.

But the James blood doesn’t entertain the thought of quitting. Bronny James has inherited those qualities. Within four months through rigorous rehab, the top recruit returned to college basketball. Mind you, it wasn’t the greatest basketball he had played. The fear of the incident repeating loomed over Bronny.

Yet, through all the obstacles, he was able to emerge and continue playing the sport he loves. Since then, not just him, but even LeBron James has learned not to take anything for granted.

LeBron James and family’s love propelled Bronny James to his dream

Recovering from a congenital heart defect is a tremendous feat on its own. But to play a high-intensity and demanding sport such as basketball instills immeasurable fear in the person. Bronny James too is human. When participating in the draft combine, he admitted the fear continues to linger over him.

However, his environment enabled him to ultimately chase his dreams of being in the NBA. “I feel like my parents were a big factor believing in me and giving me the love and affection that I needed at that time,” he told the NBA. After an unflattering collegiate season, there weren’t a lot of expectations from the 20-year-old.

Yet, after clearing the medical test to participate in the combine, James’ ‘overpowering’ love for the game found an outlet. He ranked second in the three-point shooting drill and his vertical measured at 40.5 inches, the third highest from all the prospects in Chicago. It revitalized not just confidence, but a ray of promise when speaking about the eldest son of LeBron James.

“If Bronny wants to stop right now or never played basketball or just wanted to be a gamer or wanted to be a chef or wanted to be nothing or whatever, he could have done that,” the four-time MVP says. Still, he chose to march through the pinching critics and make a play to see his dream come to life.

For those reasons, LeBron James isn’t wrong to say “he’s special”. Odds were never in the favor of the 20-year-old. But even after the difficulties that interrupted his path, he chose not to concede. In that part, the Lakers may have decided to honor the King’s wishes and bring his son to be his teammate.

However, now that he can enjoy coming to work with Bronny James every day, he too is revitalized and more fueled than ever before. “This is a moment I may enjoy a little bit more,” he says. And it’s easy to understand just why when all the events are taken into consideration.