LOS ANGELES -- USC led by as many as 17 points in the first half before Long Beach State used a late surge in an 84-79 overtime victory to spoil the debut of Trojans star freshman Bronny James.
James returned to the court less than five months after going into cardiac arrest during a preseason workout in late July. Coming into the game, James was expected to be on a minutes restriction and finished with four points, three rebounds, two assists and a block in 16 minutes of action.
"I just wanted to say I'm thankful for everything," Bronny James said after the game. "(From) The Mayo Clinic and everything they helped me with, my parents and siblings supporting me through this hard time in my life. I just want to give appreciation to everyone that's helped me through this. Also, my coach, my teammates and other coaches."
James did not take questions from reporters.
"Bronny handles the spotlight extremely well," USC coach Andy Enfield said. "He's a passionate young man about playing basketball. I'm not sure what will happen in the future as far as spotlight, but he handles it very well."
The Trojans (5-4) were coming off a loss to Gonzaga in Las Vegas and now have lost three of their last four games after a 4-1 start to the season.
Long Beach State (7-4) faced its third Big Six program of the season and improved to 3-0 with wins over Michigan, DePaul and most recently, USC.
The next action for James and USC is next Sunday on the road against Auburn. The Trojans have a four-game road trip before returning home to face Cal on Jan. 3.
It is not clear if James will be allowed to see more action in the next few games.
"We will continue to monitor that, that's not my decision," Enfield said. "He played his restriction tonight, his minutes restriction, and I thought he played well in those minutes."
Bronny James has been active on both ends of the floor in his limited action thus far. James had an incredible weak side block and dished out an assist on the other end. James has still yet to score, but he's clearly making an impact.
Free basketball is coming up in Los Angeles. After Isaiah Collier missed a potential game-winning shot at the buzzer, we are heading to overtime. USC led by as many as 17 points in the first half before Long Beach State cameback to tie it late. Bronny James closed in the final minutes of the second half and will start the OT period on the floor.
We have a good one here at the Galen Center. Long Beach State and USC are tied at 69 with 3:10 remaining and Bronny James appears to be checking in for the final stretch. The Trojans were up by as many as 17 points in the first half.
After hitting the first shot of his college career, Bronny James is checking out. James was expected to be on a minutes restriction and he has played 10 minutes thus far. USC leads Long Beach State 59-58 with 9:25 left.
Bronny James is on the board. James knocked down a three-pointer on the wing off an assist from Boogie Ellis for the first points of his college career. James is 1-of-2 from distance and both shots he's taken today have been from downtown.
Bronny James is checking in for the first time in the second half with just over 14 minutes left in regulation. Within moments of James entering the game, he dished out an assist to USC big man Joshua Morgan. James has only taken one shot thus far and has two assists, a rebound and a block in seven minutes of action.
After suffering an apparent injury in the final moments of the first half, USC star freshman Isaiah Collier is back on the floor for USC. Collier is in contention to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft and was seen warming up minutes before the start of the second half. Collier had a team-high 10 points in the first 20 minutes of action.
USC star freshman Isaiah Collier is heading to the locker room after suffering an apparent injury. It's unclear what the nature of the injury could be, but Collier remained down on the floor for about a minute before being escorted into the locker room. The potential injury comes on a day in which the Trojans got back to full strength with Bronny James back in the fold.
USC leads Long Beach State 41-26 in the final minutes of the first half here at the Galen Center and Bronny James is back to the bench after playing another few minutes. Bronny has yet to score, but he's posted a rebound, block and an assist on the stat sheet. It appears he's playing in three minute stretches.
This was the scene when Bronny James checked in for the first time in his college career. James is playing in front of a packed house here at the Galen Center. The fans have been encouraging him to shoot the ball every time he touches it. This has been an incredible environment for a Sunday afternoon nonconference game in December. After sitting a few minutes on the bench, James is checking back in
After just over three minutes of action, James is back to the bench. The Trojans said prior to this game that James would be on a minutes restriction. It's unclear how much the former highly routed recruit will play today.
Bronny started his college career by forcing a near steal on the defensive end and grabbed a defensive rebound moments later. The fans here are encouraging James to shoot ... which he did moments later. The first shot of his college career was a missed 3-pointer at the top of the key.
Here comes Bronny James. The son of NBA supertstar LeBron James is checking in with 12:58 left in the first half for the first official appearance of his college career. The younger James suffered a major health scare by going into cardiac arrest on July 24 during USC's practice and less than five months later, he is making his return to the court. James is expected to be on a minutes restriction and it's unclear how much he will play today against Long Beach State.
Fresh off a win in the In-Season Tournament championship over the Pacers Saturday night, LeBron James is here for Bronny James' debut.
