Bronny James has been in the spotlight long before his highly anticipated NBA debut. As LeBron James‘ son, the 20-year-old shooting guard grew up around the league, though his family kept him out of the limelight—thanks to his protective mother, Savannah. That was until June of last year when Bronny made headlines for a different reason. This time, it wasn’t admiration, but concern.

On July 24, 2023, Bronny James suffered cardiac arrest during a USC offseason workout. The news shocked the sports world. Doctors rushed Bronny James to a Los Angeles hospital, where he fought for his health over three days. His future—and the game—paused as he battled for recovery. So, apart from living up to his ‘James’ name, the Lakers rookie weights what happened to him last year.

James Jr. has faced constant headlines, yet he’s handled the fame and criticism with remarkable grace. But behind his composure lies a more personal battle. The young guard opened up about his mental health struggles, tracing them back to the cardiac arrest that almost cut his dream short before joining the USC Trojans. Speaking with AP, the 20-year-old shared:

“I’ve become resilient over these past couple of years fighting through injuries, mental illness, stuff like that… Just, you know, coming in and working every day and staying the course… It’s a blessing to be able to play this sport that I love. There’s a chance I wasn’t going to be able to. So, I wake up and I’m thankful for that every day.” He also added: “Trying to get past that. It’s difficult, but I’m trying to work at it every day.”

The Sports Institute at the University of Washington reports that cardiac arrest strikes about 2 in 100,000 young athletes each year. Still, its sudden onset makes it shocking. No warning. Just a terrifying drop.

Amid his G League struggles, Bronny James still carries the weight of his cardiac arrest scare. After collapsing on the court, the trauma lingers. But as he climbs higher in the basketball world, he comes face-to-face with some hopes and expectations his dad has.

LeBron believes Bronny James has “room for improvement”

Bronny James is playing as a two-way player in the NBA and G League for the Lakers. He recently participated in the G League Winter Showcase for the South Bay Lakers where he wasn’t greatly impressive. Yet, the 39-year-old father, LeBron James was happy to see his son counting his minutes on the floor. Bron said: “He said he just mentally starting to feel better after the incident. Everything is starting to come back in shape. To come back in form and he’s just out there just playing. It’s great to see where he is right now.”

On Thursday, Dec. 19, the youngster scored 16 points and five assists in the first game of the Showcase. However, his struggles were out and about in the second game with only six points. Thus LeBron believes his son has lots of room for improvement. The LA Lakers superstar further added: “He has a lot of room for improvement. He’s going to continue to improve because he loves to work and he wants to be a part of the big league.”

In the G League, James Jr. is currently averaging 13.4 points, 3.4 assists, and 1.3 steals over seven games, shooting a rough 21% from deep. Amidst all the setbacks, the rookie is finding his way through the inhibitions. In his attempt to move on from that one fateful day in July 2023, Bronny James’ resilience is helping him. Besides, he has the potential to become the next big name in the league. And, it’s only a matter of time before Bronny becomes the star everyone wants him to be.