Bronny James has been medically cleared to play in the NBA. Nonetheless, that looked like a distant dream just several months ago.\

Bronny James, son of Lakers star LeBron James, to declare for NBA Draft

© Thurman James – ImagoBronny James playing for USC

Long before he declared for the NBA Draft, scouts, fans, and analysts were already following every single one of Bronny James‘ steps. Now, his time to prove hismelf has finally come.

There were doubts about his game and whether he would be NBA-ready after a single year in college. Then, a major health scare after suffering cardiac arrest only raised more questions about his future in the league.

LeBron James and his family went through some complicated days while Bronny got back to full health. Fortunately, it now seems like it’s all in the rearview mirror, as he was medically cleared to play in the NBA.

Bronny Opens Up On Cardiac Arrest

Even so, Bronny hasn’t been able to fully move on from that, at least from a mental standpoint. In his recent media availability, the USC Product admitted that fear is still lingering:

Bronny James

“It’s still lingering,” Bronny said. “My parents were a big factor of believing in me and giving me the love and affection that I needed at that time. I still think about everything that could happen but I just love the game so much it just overpowers everything. I was set back but that’s not an excuse. I’ve put in so many years of work and I don’t want anyone to think that because I had this issue that I’m lower than everyone else.”

Still, Bronny won’t shy away from any challenge. If anything, that cardiac arrest only helped him put things in perspective and become an even stronger person and competitor:

“It was a tough time for sure but all this work I’ve put in, it’s just really built me into someone that will never give up and it paid off because I put the work into that situation and I’m back to where I want to be,” Bronny said

It’s unfair to compare Bronny — or any other player — with LeBron James, and he’ll never be able to live up to those expectations. Still, he can be a very serviceable NBA player, and let’s hope he can make a name of his own in the league.