Former Lakers Summer Leaguer Confident Bronny James’ Basketball Future Hasn’t Changed

LeBron James' eldest son had been set to start at USC this fall prior to a cardiac arrest.

LeBron "Bronny" James Jr., the eldest sonny of ageless Los Angeles Lakers All-NBA small forward LeBron James Sr. and a matriculating freshman combo guard at USC, incurred a cardiac event during a morning center workout on campus on the morning of July 24th. Bronny was admitted to the ICU for a few days until he fully stabilized. LeBron and Bronny have since traveled to Minnesota's prestigious Mayo Clinic for further testing on his heart.

Now, we've gotten something of (cagey) update on the 6'3" Sierra Canyon School alum's health.

NBA G League Ignite power forward/center Shareef O'Neal, son of Los Angeles Hall of Fame center Shaquille O'Neal, spoke with TMZ Sports about the latest on his friend.

"He's good," O'Neal offered. "I don't think it'll affect anything."

When asked if the heart incident would impact his playing future, O'Neal noted that he didn't feel it would derail things "at all."

TMZ adds that Shareef, who played his college ball at LSU and UCLA before signing on with the Ignite in 2022 while working towards a (hoped-for) NBA opportunity, underwent an open-heart surgery of his own during his 2018-19 rookie season with the Bruins. He returned to the team during the 2019-20 season, and ultimately transferred to the Tigers the following year.

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