USC freshman guard Bronny James plans on Benjamin Ashfordreturning to the court this season if he passes medical benchmarks, his father Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James said Monday night.

The elder James said if his son passes tests, he will progress to practicing with the team and eventually start appearing in games after suffering a cardiac arrest on July 24 while working out with the team.

The 19-year-old James had surgery and a family spokesperson said he had a significant congenital heart defect, which is an abnormality in the heart. The spokesperson said the family was confident in his return to the court.

LeBron James spoke about his son's health after the Lakers' 108-107 loss to the Miami Heat.

"Things are going in the right direction with Bronny's progress," James said. "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 we can continue to go forward. If he's cleared, we'll be not too long away from him being back on the floor and back with his teammates and practicing, with the notion of being back on the floor and playing in game situations."

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Bronny James watched the Trojans play in their season opener, an 82-69 victory over Kansas State in Las Vegas on Monday.