With Bronny James participating in this year’s Draft Combine, hopeful about hearing his name announced in the draft next month, there are a lot of eyeballs on the event. But there was a major possibility that LeBron James’ older son might have never been able to go pro. Last July, Bronny suffered a cardiac arrest at USC’s facility during a practice session and had to be rushed to the hospital. LeBron once declared that his son “won at life” but the shocking details of the 911 call from that day still give everyone the tremors.

Still haunted by the memory of that incident, Bronny revealed during an interview at the Combine what those days were like for him, “Yeah. It was a tough time for me.” Then, realizing how fortunate he was to make a complete recovery and come out unscathed, Bronny revealed if there was ever a time after his cardiac arrest when he thought he might never play basketball again, “When I was diagnosed, there was a whole bunch of options where I could fall into and thankfully, it wasn’t one of those options.”

Going by the details of the 911 call to the LA Fire Department after Bronny’s sudden cardiac arrest, the USC freshman was lying on the floor and there was no doctor or nurse on-site to check on his condition. “Listen. Listen. Listen to me. We need an ambulance here now.” Not knowing what to do next, and in complete panic, the caller asked the 911 operator to react fast. And if it wasn’t for the quick thinking from the coaches and the response from the fire department, the situation could have turned way worse.

Handling the situation, USC’s assistant coach Eric Mobley later revealed the scary sight he witnessed that day, “I was standing up, and Bronny was right behind me, probably about two feet away. And I just heard this thump on the ground. Boom, I turned around, I’m lookin’ around, and I looked down, and he was on the ground.”

Bronny James was diagnosed with a treatable congenital heart defect that likely caused the incident rather than a major issue that could have ended his NBA dream.

Bronny doesn’t want people to think less of him after the cardiac arrest

Yes, it has been almost a year since Bronny went through that horrible day, and he has played an entire college season since then, but he revealed that there is still a lingering fear, “I still think about everything that could happen.” However, his undying love for basketball has helped Bronny overcome his fears. In no way does he want his competitors to differentiate him after what he went through last summer.

The 19-year-old also credited his parents for helping him get through the tough times and process his fears. When asked the one thing about his game that he feels doesn’t get talked about or appreciated enough, Bronny James revealed how his competitiveness and willingness to win are a huge part of his personality.

Maybe that has helped him get to where he is today. “I’m back to where I wanna be,” Bronny said. He also revealed he does not have a particular NBA destination in mind. The best situation for him will be wherever he is happy. It’s safe to say that the teenager was just grateful, as he gets a chance to compete with the best young athletes.

Moreover, Bronny proved his capabilities after he dominated every aspect of the Draft Combine. The USC star finished second in the shooting drills and had the fourth-highest maximum vertical jump of the night (over 40 inches). He displayed his cheetah-like quickness in the lane agility drills.

We hope that he continues to perform at the same level, unbothered by his past, despite whatever happens in the NBA draft