For many parents, the thought of facing their child’s mortality is an unthinkable nightmare. For Savannah James, wife of NBA legend, LeBron James, the unthinkable almost became a reality. In a new Netflix docuseries, Starting 5, the 38-year-old relives her eldest son, Bronny James’ cardiac arrest.
“It was tough,” the mother-of-three teared up while speaking in an interview about that fateful day as a part of the series. “I think we processed it differently. I think at the end of the day, it was just about us supporting each other, and just being super grateful for the outcome.”
In July of last year, the newly-minted 20-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest during a routine workout with his former team, the USC Trojans. According to a family statement at the time, medical evaluations conducted at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and subsequent assessments at the Mayo Clinic revealed that the likely trigger for Bronny James’ cardiac arrest was a congenital heart defect.
“It is an anatomically and functionally significant Congenital Heart Defect which can and will be treated,” the statement read. “We are very confident in Bronny’s full recovery and return to basketball in the very near future. We will continue to provide updates to media and respectfully reiterate the family’s request for privacy.”
Fast-forward and Bronny is now, not only a healthy young man, he has also made career history as he is playing professionally alongside his father for the Los Angeles Lakers. LeBron has sure that fans know that even though father and son are on the court together, Bronny may not call him “dad”.
“No, we already laid that,” the star athlete said vehemently in an interview with Paul Rivera from The Shop. “Cannot call me ‘Dad’ in the workplace. Once we leave out of the private facility and the gates close, I can be ‘Dad’ again. In the car if we ride together, at home, I can be ‘Dad.’”
If you have not heard about Netflix’s new docuseries, Starting 5, per the Netflix website, is a “captivating sports series [that] follows Jimmy Butler, Anthony Edwards, LeBron James, Domantas Sabonis and Jayson Tatum throughout the 2023-24 NBA season.”
Starting 5 is now streaming.
In addition to Bronny, Savannah and LeBron are also father to two additional children: son, Bryce, and daughter, Zhuri.
Photo: LeBron James Instagram; Savannah James Instagram