Pac-12 Basketball

It remains to be seen when Bronny James will rejoin the USC men's basketball team, but he is "doing very well" according to the program's head coach.

"Bronny's doing very well," Andy Enfield said, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. "But we just can't comment on anything medically. He's going to class and doing extremely well in school, and we're really excited for him."

James was not with the team for Monday's practice, which was the first one for the new season.

The son of NBA legend LeBron James suffered cardiac arrest during a workout on July 24 and was hospitalized for three days. Youngmisuk noted the James family released a statement that revealed a congenital heart defect was the likely cause and that they are confident he will return to the court in the future.

Initially, LeBron James released a statement that said the family "will have more to say" when the time was right while thanking people for their support:

In August, Enfield told Jeff Goodman of Stadium, "Bronny was playing extremely well before the issue. Our top concern is his health. We're hopeful that he will be on the court at some point this season."

The 2023-24 season is scheduled to be James' freshman one if he does return to the floor. He was a 5-star prospect, per 247Sports' composite rankings, and his commitment elevated expectations for the team.

USC's entire schedule has not been finalized, but it will face Kansas State on Nov. 6.

USC basketball head coach Andy Enfield provided an update on Bronny James on Monday as he continues to make progress after going into cardiac arrest during a workout last month.

"The good thing is he's doing extremely well and he's in class right now. And we all love him," Enfield said, per the Associated Press (via ESPN). "I think everybody is hopeful that Bronny will return to the court. We just have to be patient and take it step by step."

The freshman guard, who is the son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, was hospitalized after suffering the episode on July 24 and released three days later.

The James family released a statement on Friday that said the probable cause of his cardiac arrest was "an anatomically and functionally significant congenital heart defect which can and will be treated," and the expectation is that the youngster will have a "full recovery and return to basketball in the very near future." Enfield noted that there's no rush in getting him back on the court.

"Our goal is to support Bronny in any way we can academically, athletically, and be patient with how things develop in his return," Enfield said.

A 6'3" guard, James is a member of a 2023 recruiting class for the Trojans that was ranked third in the nation by 247Sports. He is joined by highly touted point guard Isaiah Collier, who is the No. 2 overall player in the nation. The Trojans are looking to make the NCAA tournament for a fourth straight year, and Enfield hopes James will be a part of the team's success this season.

"He's a terrific basketball player and was playing very well [before the cardiac arrest]," Enfield said. "We all think there is a big upside in his game and he can help our team win."

USC will open the 2023-24 campaign on Nov. 6 against Kansas State.

Doctors discovered the probable cause of Bronny James' July 24 collapse.

Ryan Kartje of the Los Angeles Times and Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium shared a statement from a James family spokesperson that revealed the cause was "an anatomically and functionally significant congenital heart defect which can and will be treated."

The statement also said the expectation is James will have a "full recovery and return to basketball in the very near future."

James, who is the son of future Basketball Hall of Famer LeBron James, suffered cardiac arrest during a USC practice session. Charania reported at the time he collapsed and was taken to the hospital, where he was eventually listed in stable condition.

After the 18-year-old was discharged from the hospital, Dr. Merije Chukumerije released a statement:

"Thanks to the swift and effective response from USC athletics' medical staff, Bronny James was successfully treated for a sudden cardiac arrest. He arrived at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center fully conscious, neurologically intact and stable. Mr. James was cared for promptly by high-trained staff and has been discharged home, where he is resting. Although his workup will be ongoing, we are hopeful for his continued progress and are encouraged by his response, resilience, and his family and community support."

LeBron James also released a statement thanking people for their support:

Friday's update comes after USC men's basketball coach Andy Enfield told Jeff Goodman of Stadium: "Bronny was playing extremely well before the issue. Our top concern is his health. We're hopeful that he will be on the court at some point this season."

While James has not yet played a collegiate game as an incoming freshman, expectations were high upon his arrival.

In addition to being the son of NBA royalty, he was a 5-star recruit, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

It remains to be seen whether James can take the floor for the Trojans this season, but Friday's statement was a positive update.

USC men's basketball head coach Andy Enfield is primarily concerned with Bronny James' health even if he hopes the freshman will play during the upcoming season.

"Bronny was playing extremely well before the issue," Enfield said, per Jeff Goodman of Stadium. "Our top concern is his health. We're hopeful that he will be on the court at some point this season."

James, who is the son of basketball legend LeBron James, suffered cardiac arrest during a practice session in July. He was taken to the hospital and discharged days later.

Merije Chukumerije, who was the consulting cardiologist involved in James' treatment, released a statement that said, in part, "Although his workup will be ongoing, we are hopeful for his continued progress and are encouraged by his response, resilience, and his family and community support."

For his part, LeBron James thanked people for their support and said the family "will have more to say" when the time is right:

Bronny James has since made public appearances at a Drake concert and a Los Angeles Dodgers game.

James is going to be a freshman this season at USC and was a highly anticipated commit for more reasons than just his famous father. He was a 5-star prospect, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

USC's 2023-24 schedule has not been finalized, but it is slated to play against Kansas State on Nov. 6.

Shareef O'Neal told TMZ Sports that he's been in contact with Bronny James, who is "good" after suffering a cardiac arrest during a July 24 practice with the USC Trojans.

"I don't think it'll affect anything," O'Neal added of the incident while talking about whether James would eventually get back on the court.

O'Neal, 23, dealt with an anomalous coronary artery—a heart defect—at the age of 18 that required open-heart surgery. He told Good Morning America in late July that he reached out to James.

"I just said, any questions you have, you can ask me because I can probably answer them for you," he said.

James, the son of NBA superstar LeBron James, was set to begin his freshman season at USC this fall. The 18-year-old guard from Los Angeles' Sierra Canyon School was considered a 5-star prospect by 247Sports' Composite Rankings and the No. 22 player in the Class of 2023, the No. 5 combo guard and the No. 4 player from California.

O'Neal, the son of NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal, spent the 2022-23 season with the G League Ignite, averaging 5.6 points and 3.1 rebounds in 20 games (five starts).

It appears that Stanford is willing to do whatever it takes to remain in a prominent conference.

Ralph D. Russo of the Associated Press reported the school informed the remaining members of the Pac-12 that it told the ACC that the university was willing to make significant sacrifices in order to move to the conference.

"Leaders from Stanford, California, Oregon State and Washington State spoke Thursday, and Stanford told its colleagues it had informed the ACC that it would be open to joining the conference at greatly reduced or even no media rights payout for several years," Russo wrote.

This comes in the aftermath of the dissolution of the Pac-12 that has already seen USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington depart for the Big Ten starting in 2024, with Arizona, Arizona State, Utah and Colorado moving to the Big 12 in 2024. Currently, Stanford, Cal, Oregon State and Washington State are the only remaining members of the conference for 2024.

Geographically, a move to the ACC makes little sense. The entirety of the conference is located in the Eastern time zone, and the westernmost team in the conference is Notre Dame, which is still more than 2,200 miles from Stanford. Also of note, Notre Dame is not a member of the conference for football. The westernmost football program in the ACC is Louisville, which is located more than 2,000 miles from Stanford.

Despite this, a power conference on the West Coast appears to be off the table, as does further Big 12 expansion. This leaves the Big Ten, SEC and ACC as remaining power conferences, and the Big Ten has already expanded to 18 teams.

The ACC may not be a great fit geographically, but academically, it is a slam dunk. The conference is ranked No. 3 in the NCAA in terms of academics and No. 1 among conferences that sponsor FBS football. Stanford, which is ranked as the No. 3 university, according to U.S. News & World Report, would add to that prestige and be alongside peers with similar academic goals.

While the initial vote to admit Stanford and Cal to join was one vote short of passing earlier in August, it appears that Stanford is willing to make concessions in order to change that vote. Russo did not report that Cal is involved in this concession, and it is not clear if Stanford's sacrifices would be enough to flip the vote.

Less than three months from the start of the 2023-24 college basketball season, it's not going to surprise anyone that Bronny James is the most valuable player by financial valuation.

Per the latest NIL evaluations from On3.com, James' $6.2 million valuation is more than five times greater than No. 2 Hansel Emmanuel of Northwestern State ($1.2 million).

James' immediate future in basketball is uncertain at this point. The 18-year-old committed to USC on May 10. He was with the team preparing a summer tour in Greece and Croatia when he went into cardiac arrest on July 24.

Bronny was discharged from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on July 27.

James is still undergoing testing to determine what caused his cardiac arrest.

Emmanuel is entering his sophomore season at Northwestern State. He had his left arm amputated when he was six years old when a wall collapsed on it and he was trapped for nearly two hours.

The 19-year-old averaged 1.7 points and 1.2 rebounds in 20 games for the Demons last season. He has 1.6 million followers on Instagram.

Third on the list is highly touted Duke freshman Jared McCain. The 247Sports 5-star prospect is the top incoming recruit for head coach Jon Scheyer.

Shaqir O'Neal, son of Basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal, has the fourth-highest NIL valuation at $850,000. He is going to play basketball at Texas Southern.

Purdue center Zach Edey, the reigning National Player of the Year, has an $822,000 valuation. He initially tested the professional waters by declaring for the NBA draft, but opted to withdraw so he could return to the Boilermakers for a fourth season.

The 2023-24 season is set to tip off on Nov. 6.

Bronny James, the son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, has been discharged from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after being treated for cardiac arrest that occurred during a USC practice session on Monday.

The consulting cardiologist involved in James' treatment said in a statement that they are "hopeful for his continued progress and are encouraged by his response, resilience, and his family and community support."

Representatives for the James family announced Tuesday that James was treated by medical staff and transported to the hospital, where he was in stable condition after spending some time in the intensive care unit.

It remains unclear what caused James to go into cardiac arrest.

Numerous athletes, celebrities and fans have sent their support to James and his family on social media throughout the week, including Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who suffered a cardiac arrest during the 2022 season.

Shareef O'Neal, the son of Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal, also reached out to James with a message of support. O'Neal underwent open-heart surgery when he was just 18 years old to repair a coronary artery issue.

LeBron James thanked everyone for their support of Bronny on Thursday via Twitter in his first public comments since the incident and wrote that the family "will have more to say" when they are ready to do so.

James committed to USC in May after also receiving offers from Memphis and Ohio State, joining No. 1 recruit Isaiah Collier on a Trojans squad that enters 2023-24 with high expectations.

James, a 5-star prospect, was the No. 22-ranked player and No. 5 combo guard in the class of 2023, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

The McDonalds All-American is also expected to be among the top names available for selection in the 2024 NBA draft. Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman has him ranked No. 36 in his latest 2024 NBA draft big board:

James checks a coveted mix of boxes with translatable shooting and IQ for smart ball-moving and defensive anticipation. The question is whether he'll be a tough-enough creator and two-point scorer to offer more on-ball value. Regardless, there should be interest in his three-and-D package and intangibles, a combination that hints at a high floor. Given his consistent development at Sierra Canyon and his play at All-Star events, this year's bright spotlight doesn't seem likely to negatively affect him.

There is no timeline for when James will return to the court.

Shareef O'Neal, who underwent open-heart surgery at age 18 to repair a coronary artery issue, said he spoke to Bronny James after the USC guard went into cardiac arrest at practice this week.

"I talked to Bronny. I sent him a message. I just said, 'Any questions you have, you can ask me because I can probably answer them for you,'" O'Neal said on GMA. "... I know people are going to be saying they're like praying for you and all that. You don't want to hear too much about it at the moment."

James, the son of LeBron James, is in stable condition and out of the ICU after being rushed to the hospital Monday due to cardiac arrest.

"Yesterday while practicing Bronny James suffered a cardiac arrest," a James family spokesperson said in a statement. "Medical staff was able to treat Bronny and take him to the hospital. He is now in stable condition and no longer in ICU. We ask for respect and privacy for the James family and we will update media when there is more information."

No further details have been made publicly available since the announcement was first made Tuesday.

James is a 5-star guard prospect and was ranked as the No. 22 player in the 2023 high school class in 247Sports' composite rankings. He was widely expected to be a one-and-done candidate, potentially lining him up to play with his father in the NBA.

James' basketball future is unclear. USC center Vincent Iwuchukwu, who went into cardiac arrest in a practice last summer, was able to return and play 14 games for the Trojans.

O'Neal was able to resume his career after spending a year recovering and is currently a member of the G League Ignite.

The sports world is coming together to support Bronny James, the son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, after he suffered a cardiac arrest during a practice session at USC on Monday.

Bronny's representatives said in a statement to The Athletic and Stadium's Shams Charania that the 18-year-old USC freshman was transported to a local hospital, where he remains in stable condition.

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who suffered a cardiac arrest during the 2022 NFL season and has since become one of the largest advocates for CPR and automated external defibrillator training, was among the athletes to voice his support for Bronny and the entire James family:

Bronny announced his commitment to USC in May after a standout high school career at Sierra Canyon, and he's now on a talented Trojans roster that includes No. 1 recruit Isaiah Collier.

Bronny was the No. 22 player and No. 5 combo guard in the class of 2023, per 247Sports' composite rankings, and he's expected to be among the biggest names available in the 2024 NBA draft.

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman listed Bronny as the 36th-best prospect in his latest 2024 NBA draft big board, writing that he "checks a coveted mix of boxes with translatable shooting and IQ for smart ball-moving and defensive anticipation."