WHEN BRONNY JAMES NEEDS HIS FATHER, THE NBA BECOMES A SECONDARY CHORE

It’s remarkable watching LeBron James support his son in his comeback from cardiac arrest, with the 19-year-old’s “soul” helping him remain the league’s most talked-about superstar nearing age 39

     A father is trying to win two basketball games in one weekend. This one is far more extreme, watching courtside at USC’s Galen Center, pretending his arm has ice in his veins after his son made his first collegiate jumpshot. LeBron James is mastering the completion of an American dream in his 21st NBA season.

     His son, Bronny, is playing exceptional defense, blocking a Long Beach State shot on a chasedown as his dad has done exceptionally, and now is lofting three fingers after hitting a trey in a jubilant arena. He is back on the floor almost five months after suffering cardiac arrest, on the same campus court. He is wearing JAMES JR. on his back, with No. 6, donned by LeBron until Bill Russell’s death.

     But now, a father is nervous. His son remains in the game in regulation’s final seconds and was positioned to win after stealing the ball. Bronny missed a killer free throw, swishing the second and giving the opponents a chance to tie, which they did, as a smirking Marcus Tsohonis lathered it up and pulled an ice-in-veins trick from LeBron. Overtime was next, and soon enough, Bronny was pulled by coach Andy Enfield, and in an early shock to the system of an NCAA tournament team, USC blew a 15-point halftime lead and lost 84-79.

     A father put away his phone, which he’d used to take pictures throughout the afternoon. The crowd exited quietly. Bronny was unsettled, shook hands with the winners, then was left to assess that he remains 0-1 as a Trojan. They would meet later, a dad and his son, trying to figure out a misadventure. In the bigger picture of life, they were thrilled about the day’s amazing events. A kid of 19 was playing ball again, after a congenital heart defect, when he could have been told to quit. Later, LeBron wrote: "Can't even tell y'all how EMOTIONAL today was for me! I'm literally drained and all I can say is @bronny you're simply INCREDIBLE!! Damn the wins and loses that will occur. You've already won the ultimate goal/championship and that's LIFE!!! Proud of you kid and today you've given me more life! Thank you and I love you."

     There was more. “Puts everything into perspective,” LeBron said. “Truly understand that nothing else matters other than your loved ones. You just stop everything that you’re doing and it’s literally, how do we help him or help your loved one get better, from the moment it happened all the way until they’re successful. I am super excited to have this moment.”

     In brief comments to media mobs, Bronny was appreciative of the moment and thanked the Mayo Clinic, where he was treated. “I just want to say I’m thankful for everything,” he said, “during this hard time in my life.”

     It remains to be seen whether they play together one day in the NBA, LeBron and Bronny, which will require medical concerns and understanding from the Los Angeles Lakers or another team. At present, it’s fascinating to see a man support his son through serious issues while he continues to excel as the league’s oldest player. He could have retired, as he threatened, but he wanted to keep playing as Bronny rises in his own realm. The other night, as he was busy leading the Lakers to the inaugural In-Season Tournament championship, he looked at Bronny in the stands. They are in this journey as one.

     “I think when it comes to soul, I think it’s everything. It’s the energy that you put into it. The energy that you get from your family members,” James said. “I think it’s just something that’s internal. When I have the opportunity, when it comes to the soul, I think my soul is divine in my family. I think about my wife and my mom and my three kids. They kind of generate all that and it makes the mind and the body a lot easier when you have those rocks and staples at home. It makes it a lot easier.”

     The soul is why James finished 7-0 in the event, giving him another distinction after four times as a league champion, four times as an MVP and a 19-time All-Star career. Winning the NBA Cup in December does not mean the Lakers will overcome powerhouse rivals in the Western Conference, including defending champ Denver, rising Minnesota and Oklahoma City and trying-to-survive Phoenix and the Los Angeles Clippers. But he was brilliant in those games — averaging 26.4 points, 8.0 rebounds, 7.6 assists, 1.6 steals and shooting 56.8 percent from the field and 60.6 percent on threes — and with his 39th birthday approaching in three weeks, he continues to be the attention-getter of his sport. When James is on the court, the Lakers have outscored opponents by 145 points; when he’s not playing, they’re outscored by 110. The coach, Darvin Ham, tried to reduce the minutes of James and Anthony Davis. Instead, he gave up.

     “Extraordinary. Otherworldly. One-of-one,” Ham said of James.

     And now, undaunted by age, he talks of crushing Father Time. To do so, he’ll have to win his fifth championship, which will require many more playing breaks and so much luck. For now, don’t put anything past him. “I want to continue to defy the odds, continue to have this battle with Father Time that for so long, everybody said, has been undefeated,” James said. “So, I’m trying to give him one loss.”

     How? “I think it’s definitely more mental than physical at this point of my career,” he said. “Just mentally showing up hours and hours and hours before the actual game to start to prepare my mind, body and soul for however many minutes I’m going to play. And commanding the most out of my teammates, commanding the most out of myself and holding everybody accountable including myself. The mental side is definitely the most stressful than the actual body. But if I continue to keep my mind as fresh as possible, continue to put the work in, then I’ll give myself an opportunity to just, I guess, surprise myself with what I’m able to do for as long as I’ve been in this league and as many miles as I’ve put on these tires.”

     When he retires, his work is clearcut. He’ll remain a media mogul, but he also wants to own an NBA franchise in Las Vegas. He has mentioned it so many times, commissioner Adam Silver said in handing him the tournament’s MVP trophy: “I’m sorry, but this doesn’t come with a franchise.” James laughed, but certainly not at the thought. “My enthusiasm about being here post-career, bringing a team here has not changed,” he said. “The fans are amazing. They have everything already: WNBA team, they have a baseball team (Athletics) coming in soon, NFL team, hockey team, F1 (Formula One) was just here. This is a place that loves great attractions, and I think the NBA will be another great addition to this city.”

     The league wouldn’t have turned T-Mobile Arena into a Vegas showcase without a future plan. If James thought about it, he could play two more seasons, take over the team — the James Gang? — and give Bronny at least one chance to play. With no chance of topping Michael Jordan’s six championships, LeBron knows Silver is right about ultimate trophies. “Frankly, there’s nothing else to win in this league,” he said. Yet to help drive massive revenue increases only helps the commissioner. Dipping over $10 billion in revenue and averaging $2.7 billion in its current national broadcast deal, the bosses eye the NFL’s $120 billion in media money and hope for a healthy chunk. “I’ve said, Adam is a genius,” James said.

     Oh, if he direct another show into June. He’s not that naive. “We want to put it in perspective that it’s still December,” he said. “We like where we are right now but we want to continue to work our habits, continue to get healthy as well. Right now, where we are in December, I would take it. But I’m definitely not looking to May and June. That’s too far. There’s too many steps that need to be taken still.”

     Said Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, shocked at what he’s seeing: “LeBron James is in his prime still. I’m watching the guy, and it's phenomenal. Someone just gave me the stat — he's the only player in NBA history who has been the youngest player in the league and the oldest player in the league, both. That speaks to obviously an amazing run of longevity and, in his case, greatness. He's the all-time leading scorer, and if there's a Mount Rushmore, he's one of the guys on Mount Rushmore.”

     For now, he’s a dad, first and foremost. The tournament’s MVP award went to his buddy, Maverick Carter, who wouldn’t say if he had gambling money on the Lakers. His shoes went to Lynn Merritt, a longtime Nike executive. His heart is extended to Bronny, who played 16 minutes with four points, three rebounds and two assists, often willing to pass when he had open shots.

     “We recruited Bronny James because he’s a very good basketball player. He went through an unfortunate situation,” Enfield said. “He’s done an incredible job with that. So extra eyeballs or spotlight, sometimes that comes with a guy like Bronny. I thought he played well. He defended at a high level. It was exciting for everybody to see him out there, and I’m sure his family was the most excited.”

     An NBA career resumes today. Until then, LeBron will be tapping into the soul of his son. The next game is Sunday at Auburn. With no Lakers games between Friday and Monday, there’s no reason a man can’t be there, ice in veins.

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     Jay Mariotti, called “without question the most impacting Chicago sportswriter of the past quarter-century,’’ writes general sports columns for Substack while appearing on some of the 1,678,498 podcasts and shows in production today. He is an accomplished columnist, TV panelist and talk/podcast host. Living in Los Angeles, he gravitated by osmosis to film projects.