Bronny James Timeline: USC Freshman to Debut Less Than Five Months After Cardiac Arrest

Destined to be a basketball player from birth, LeBron James Jr., more commonly known as Bronny, will make his long-awaited college basketball debut Sunday.

Understandably, USC's Galen Center is sold out ahead of the Trojans' (5-3) matchup with Long Beach State (6-4). Expectations are high for James' first moments in NCAA action, but that is nothing new.

The freshman will come off the bench and is under a minutes restriction vs. the 49ers. Here, The Messenger provides you with a timeline of James' road back to the game he loves most.

MAY

James committed to USC on May 6 amid a wave of excitement, with all signs pointing to a debut Nov. 6 in the opener vs. Kansas State in Las Vegas.

JULY

Though, July 24 changed James' plans and life forever, when he suffered a cardiac arrest at USC practice. The then-18-year-old was taken to the hospital for treatment in the intensive care unit.

Within a day, James was out of the intensive care unit (ICU) and by July 27 he was discharged from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Just five days on from the cardiac arrest, James was playing the piano in the family's residence in Beverly Hills.

AUGUST

Things started to become clearer in August, specifically as to the reasoning for James' shock cardiac arrest.

He was diagnosed with "an anatomically and functionally significant Congenital Heart Defect," per a James family spokesperson.

There were more moments of normality, well for Bronny anyway, with LeBron and his eldest son walking out with Drake for the rapper's August 21 concert at Crypto.com Arena.

OCTOBER

As expected, LeBron provided updates on his son throughout the rehabilitation process, telling reporters on Oct. 2 that Bronny was "doing well" and expected to return to basketball.

NOVEMBER

LeBron James provided another positive update Oct. 6 following the Lakers' 108-107 loss to Miami.

"Things are going in the right direction with Bronny's progress," James told reporters postgame. "He's doing rehab. Every week, he gets to do more, and more, and more.

"We have a big moment at the end of this month to see if he can continue to go forward," he added.

By Nov. 19th, Bronny was warming up for the first time with his Trojan teammates ahead of their 81-70 home win vs. Brown.

At the end of the month, James was cleared to return to play as The Messenger's Jeff Goodman reported.

DECEMBER

On the first day of December, LeBron announced he would miss a Lakers game should it coincide with Bronny's debut.

However, James Sr. does not have to fear, as the Lakers are not in action until Tuesday night in Dallas.

USC played No. 7 Gonzaga on Dec. 2, but the game arrived too quickly for the freshman and his timeline. James did take part in pregame warmups as he inched closer to a return.

LeBron spoke about his son twice this week, first expressing joy at Bronny being "happy and alive" after he took in the Lakers' In-Season Tournament quarterfinal win vs. Phoenix.

Once it became expected James would debut Sunday, LeBron admitted he was "super excited" to watch his son play in downtown L.A.

James Sr. won't be the only one, with many across the basketball sphere waiting expectedly to see the four-star recruit in action.