Bronny James' Heart Issue Can Be Treated, Family Says

LeBron's son, 18, suffered cardiac arrest during basketball practice
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 27, 2023 1:53 PM CDT
Updated Aug 27, 2023 1:16 PM CDT
LeBron Breaks Silence on Son: 'Safe and Healthy'
LeBron James, left, poses with his son Bronny in 2019 in Columbus, Ohio.   (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete, File)
UPDATE Aug 27, 2023 1:16 PM CDT

Bronny James' family has disclosed doctors' diagnosis after he suffered cardiac arrest last month during college basketball practice. "It is an anatomically and functionally significant Congenital Heart Defect which can and will be treated," the family's statement issued Friday said. The statement expressed confidence in his full recovery and a "return to basketball in the very near future," CNN reports. James, the son of NBA superstar LeBron James, has not been with his USC team since his collapse, per CBS Sports.

Jul 27, 2023 1:53 PM CDT

LeBron James addressed the public for the first time since son Bronny suffered a cardiac arrest on Monday, thanking supporters without providing too much detail on the 18-year-old's recovery:

  • "I want to thank the countless people sending my family love and prayers," wrote James on Twitter. "We feel you and I'm so grateful. Everyone doing great. We have our family together, safe and healthy, and we feel your love. Will have more to say when we're ready but I wanted to tell everyone how much your support has meant to all of us!"

Bronny lost consciousness while practicing as a freshman with his USC basketball team, and he was brought the hospital as a serious "Code 3," meaning lights and sirens with his ambulance, per the Los Angeles Times. Sudden cardiac arrest in someone so young is rare, though it still accounts for about nine deaths per year among NCAA student-athletes, reports CNN. For reasons that are unclear, young Black athletes face a greater risk, particularly basketball players.

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"Adolescent male basketball players and college male basketball players, for reasons that we don't fully understand, are by far our single highest risk group of athletes for sudden cardiac arrest," says Dr. Jonathan Drezner of the University of Washington Medical Center. "In my opinion, they should all be screened with more robust and intensive cardiac screening than occurs typically." The LAT notes that another USC player, Vince Iwuchukwu, suffered cardiac arrest about a year ago and was able to resume playing six months later. (More LeBron James stories.)

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