Bronny James cleared to return to basketball, but will not play in USC's game vs. Gonzaga

Four-star recruit has yet to make his college debut since suffering a cardiac arrest in the offseason

USC guard Bronny James, a four-star recruit in the 2023 class and son of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, will not make his collegiate debut against the No. 11 Gonzaga Bulldogs on Saturday.

A James family spokesperson said in a statement Thursday that Bronny was cleared to return to basketball by doctors, and will have a final evaluation with USC staff this week. The statement said he will take part in practice next week and play in games "soon after."

James has yet to suit up for the Trojans this season after suffering a cardiac arrest in July. It was determined he had a congenital heart defect that was treatable a few weeks later, in which a family spokesperson said James would return to the court "in the very near future." A congenital heart defect is a broad term referring to any abnormality of heart structure that results when the heart or surrounding blood vessels don't develop normally before birth.

Since then, James has been around the team in different capacities. He went through warmups for the first time this season before USC's home game against Brown on Sunday. Head coach Andy Enfield noted that James has also been at practices with the team, though he didn't provide a timetable for his return.

While it's unclear as to when James will make his collegiate debut, his return will be a welcomed addition to an already stacked USC backcourt. All-Pac 12 guard Boogie Ellis is third in the conference in scoring with 20.2 points per game, while No. 1 recruit Isaiah Collier is not far behind at 18.2 points per game. Both are early contenders for the Wooden Award, with Collier being just one of three freshman in the country to earn a spot on the preseason top 50 watch list.

As a senior at Sierra Canyon (California), James paced the team with 14.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.8 steals per game. He was named a McDonald's All-American and was selected to the United States team for the Nike Hoop Summit. He committed to USC in May, though he had reportedly been receiving offers from high-major programs since 2015.

Gonzaga's game against USC is part of a doubleheader, with Washington facing No. 20 Colorado State in the opener of the Legends of Basketball Las Vegas Invitational on Saturday at 4 p.m. The Zags and No. 20 Trojans tip off at 7 p.m.

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