Rumors began circulating about James’ potential presence in Haas Pavilion about three hours before the 8 p.m. tip-off, with the contest being the first sellout Cal has had for men’s basketball in seven years.

James’ Lakers are back on the West Coast after an eight-day, five-game road trip out East, finishing with a 124-118 win over the Hornets on Monday in Charlotte. The Lakers are back in action Thursday against the Denver Nuggets in Los Angeles, likely making this a quick trip to the Bay Area for LeBron.

But could LeBron be back in the Bay Area for Bronny and USC’s next game? The Lakers have a back-to-back, playing the Pelicans at home on Friday night before getting three days off in a row. The Trojans play the second leg of their Bay Area road trip against Stanford on Saturday night at Maples Pavilion. It wouldn’t be a shock to see James back in NorCal to watch his son.

Bronny James playing at all in the 2023-24 season is itself noteworthy after he suffered a cardiac arrest during a practice in July. But Bronny was cleared to return in late November, made his collegiate debut a few weeks later — with dad LeBron in the crowd — and has become a contributor for the Trojans since.

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