Bronny James was taken to the hospital and admitted into the intensive care unit after a cardiac arrest on Monday. The 18-year-old incoming first-year student-athlete at the University of Southern California is now stable.
His parents, LeBron and Savannah James, are reportedly “optimistic” about their son’s recovery, according to TMZ. Additional tests are reportedly underway to determine what caused Bronny’s cardiac arrest. No information has been shared about his future in basketball so far.
Bronny’s brother Bryce took to social media to share an update. The 16-year-old shared a photograph on Instagram Stories with Bronny and Bryce standing side-by-side with heart emoji between them.
Bryce James' IG story as Bronny recovers from cardiac arrest ❤️ pic.twitter.com/AKWgiqHOXo
— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) July 26, 2023
The sports world has publicly expressed its support for Bronny.
“Prayers to Bronny & The James family as well,” Damar Hamlin tweeted. “Here for you guys just like you have been for me my entire process.”
Hamlin also went into cardiac arrest earlier this year during a game.
“Cookie and I are praying for LeBron and Savannah’s son Bronny after hearing he suffered a cardiac arrest,” Magic Johnson wrote. “We are praying and hoping he makes a full and speedy recovery.”
“Sending prayers to Bronny and his family! Wishing a speedy recovery for this young man,” Lamar Odom tweeted.
Bronny has also received encouragement from his fans, who have flooded the comment section under his latest Instagram post.
View this post on Instagram
On Monday, a 911 call was made at 9:26 a.m. from USC’s Galen Center. Bronny was unconscious when he was taken to the hospital, according to TMZ.
“Yesterday, while practicing, Bronny James suffered a cardiac arrest,” a spokesperson of the James family said in a statement. “Medical staff was able to treat Bronny and take him to the hospital. He is now in stable condition and no longer in ICU. We ask for respect and privacy for the James family, and we will update media when there is more information.”
LeBron and Savannah James thanked the USC medical and athletic staff for their “incredible work and dedication to the safety of their athletes.”
Cardiologists familiar with cardiac arrests told the Los Angeles Times Bronny being released from ICU within 24 hours is promising.
“Even for a young, healthy athlete, being out of the ICU already is pretty good,” Dr. Cheng-Han Chen, medical director of Pacific Cardiovascular Associates Medical Group’s structural heart disease program in Southern California, told the news outlet.
Sudden cardiac arrest is the leading medical cause of death for college athletes in the U.S., according to a 2011 study by the University of Washington. It found that 45 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) athletes died of cardiac arrests between 2004 and 2008.
Vince Iwuchukwu, another men’s basketball player at USC, suffered a cardiac arrest last summer, according to the Los Angeles Times. He collapsed during training and was revived by USC medical staff at the time. He returned to the court six months later.
