LeBron James has revealed to wanting to miss a Lakers game to watch his eldest son, Bronny’s college basketball debut, after he was cleared by doctors to return to the court for USC, four months after his diagnosis with a heart condition.

The 38-year-old James told ESPN on the same day of L.A.’s blowout loss to the OKC Thunder: ‘I already told my teammates that if they’re playing on the same day we’re playing then I’m going to catch them the next game.

‘Family over everything.’

As exclusively revealed by DailyMail.com, the James clan believe Bronny’s clearance to return to basketball ‘is the best Christmas gift the family could ask for’.

The NBA‘s all-time leading scorer has never hidden his dream of playing against or with his son in the league one day. Bronny, 19, was found to have a congenital heart effect that was treatable shortly after suffering a cardiac arrest in July during a workout at the Galen Center.

Lebron James, 38, made the admission after the Lakers lost to the Thunder, 113-110, Thursday

Bronny James is a McDonald’s All-American, just like his dad. He suffered cardiac arrest in July

Bronny, a freshman at Southern California, is expected to make his collegiate debut soon. A James family spokesperson said in a statement Thursday that their son will have a final evaluation with USC staff this week and resume practice next week.

He will be able to play in games ‘soon after,’ it said.

‘The heart specialists have cleared him, which is great,’ coach Andy Enfield said Thursday after practice, ‘and now it’s a matter of getting him back on the court next week hopefully to begin working out with the team full contact.’

Bronny didn’t participate in pregame warmups on Wednesday night and he didn’t join his teammates on the bench until late in the first half of their 106-78 rout of Eastern Washington. He joked and smiled with the other reserves and he stood at the rear of the huddles during timeouts.

The Trojans (5-2) play No. 11 Gonzaga in Las Vegas on Saturday. Their next home game is December 10 against Long Beach State, a day the Los Angeles Lakers are off, which could allow James to watch his namesake son’s debut. After that, the Trojans hit the road for four straight games.

‘That’s not my decision and it’s probably too early to speculate,’ Enfield said. ‘He’s been out of basketball for quite a few months, so we’ll be patient with him and once we get the green light we’ll get him into games.’

Bronny, a freshman guard for USC, will have a final medical test before his return to practice

‘We’re excited, but we’ll be even more excited when he’s actually out there with us playing,’ leading scorer Boogie Ellis said. ‘That’s definitely a piece that we’re missing.’

While Bronny will be a welcome addition to USC’s rotation, he’ll need time to acclimate to game action. He has been on the court for pregame warmups twice in recent weeks, doing some rebounding and taking shots but also watching his teammates. He’s also been at practices.

‘We’re all ready to have him back,’ said forward Kijani Wright, who played in high school with James. ‘It’ll just be another guard component that we have, add more fire.’

Bronny need look no further than teammate Vincent Iwuchukwu for inspiration. The 7-foot-1 sophomore suffered a cardiac arrest in July 2022. He began limited practice last December and made his debut in January. He played in 14 games last season, averaging 5.4 points and 2.5 rebounds.

Iwuchukwu was the top player off the bench Wednesday night, with 13 points, six rebounds and two blocks.

Bronny was a McDonald’s All-American just like his father. The 6-foot-3 guard played at Sierra Canyon School in the Chatsworth section of Los Angeles and chose to stay close to home in picking USC.