Bronny James, the eldest son of LeBron and Savannah James, suffered a cardiac arrest while playing basketball at the University of Southern California Monday, according to a statement from a family spokesperson.
Bronny was rushed to the hospital after being treated by the team’s medical staff. He is now in stable condition and out of ICU.
“We ask for respect and privacy for the James family, and we will update media when there is more information,” the James family’s spokesperson said.
The incident happened on Monday, and a 911 call is said to have been placed at roughly 9:30 a.m. According to TMZ, the All-American basketball star was unconscious when the ambulance arrived. However, a statement provided to Shams Charania of The Athletic indicates that James is no longer in the intensive care unit.
The statement continued: “LeBron and Savannah wish to publicly send their deepest thanks and appreciation to the USC medical and athletic staff for their incredible work and dedication to the safety of their athletes.”
USC’s medical staff had recently dealt with a similar incident. Vince Iwuchukwu, a freshman forward at USC, had a heart arrest in the summer of 2017. Iwuchukwu claimed to have fainted after feeling faint during a practice water break in a video that was released to Twitter earlier this year.
A cardiac arrest happens when electrical abnormalities force the heart to abruptly cease beating, according to the American Heart Association. It can be reversed by CPR and shocks from a defibrillator and may be fatal if not treated right away. According to the group, more than 350,000 cardiac arrests have place outside of hospitals each year in the US.
Bronny James, who averaged 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists per game last season, was a top recruit out of Sierra Canyon High School. In May, he chose USC over Oregon and Ohio State, becoming the “first one out of the James Gang to go to college,” according to his father.
“First of all, congratulations to Bronny on his decision he made. I’m super proud of him, our family is proud of him,” Lebron said. “For me personally, it’s even more special to me because it’s the first time someone out of my family to go to college. Obviously, I didn’t go to college. It’s just a proud moment to see my son go to college, and he’s the first one to go college in my family. Super duper proud, super emotional, but just super duper excited and happy for his journey,” he concluded.
We send our prayers to the James family, along with loved ones and teammates during this time. We wish Bronny a speedy and healthy recovery!
Like TV One on Facebook and be sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter.
