In the closing moments of episode 3 of the Starting 5 docuseries, LeBron James left the viewers with a heavy heart. As the end credits rolled, the realization of Bronny James‘ intense rollercoaster with death left a lingering feeling. But it has been over a year since the horrific cardiac arrest that haunted the James family. Now with the season just a few hours away, the father-son duo are ready to make history in the NBA. But before that, LeBron revisited those dark days and revealed something that should inspire many.

Talking to the media in between the Lakers’ pre-game training, LeBron disclosed an unknown story from the aftermath of Bronny James’ cardiac situation.“You know, he asked the doctors after his heart surgery, like, ‘when can I play?’“, LeBron said about Bronny’s initial response following the surgery. “Not like how long it’ll take me to heart heal or not how long I was in surgery or none of those. So he asked, when can I play?”

And finally the day has come for Bronny to play, to make his NBA debut to be specific and let’s say to make history alongside daddy James. But success is always a teamwork. There’s no LeBron James and his accolades without the support of his teammates. That’s also not an exception for Bronny James.

LeBron on Bronny’s commitment to basketball after his health scare in the summer of 2023: “He asked the doctors, ‘When can I pay again?’ Not, ‘How long is it going to take for my heart to heal?’ Or not, ‘How long was I in surgery?’ None of those. He asked, ‘When can I play?’” pic.twitter.com/Z5Na4PGtoF

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) October 22, 2024

LeBron James calls on teammates to help Bronny James and Lakers rookies

The stage is set. The Lakers will take on the Timberwolves tonight and the world will witness history. Before that, LeBron even chalked out a plan that he needs to accomplish with his son, Bronny that would emulate the legendary father-son duo of the MLB. But to achieve that, Bronny will need some help and LeBron knows where exactly to look for that. “It’s up to us as the veterans and the guys out here to try to help [Bronny] and all the other young guys to get better and better every day at what we want to accomplish,” Bron told on October 5.

Repaying the faith, Anthony Davis left a remark after Bronny’s 17-point performance against the Warriors in the final preseason game. “So you can see, even though they (LeBron and Bronny) weren’t matched up, the competition is there. And that’s what we love to see,” Davis said in a recent interview. JJ Redick has also talked about nurturing the young talents in the team throughout the season and that’s exactly what Bronny needs.

While Bronny is not sure if he’ll get minutes on the opening night, according to reports, Bronny will most likely play in the second quarter of the game, given everything goes according to plan. But knowing Anthony Edwards and his mean streak, there’s a huge possibility for that plan to go haywire. And that will be a theme throughout the season, with rivals doing their best to spoil the father-son story.