Bronny James, son of NBA star LeBron James, suffered a cardiac arrest Monday while attending basketball practice at the University of Southern California. James was immediately taken to a nearby hospital where he was then referred to the Intensive Care Unit.
A family spokesperson spoke out about James, saying that the 18-year-old was later discharged from the ICU and is now recovering in stable condition.
Medical attention was given at the scene.
“Loss of consciousness and likely needed resuscitation, maybe even defibrillation, likely defibrillation at that time,” said CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
Although cardiac arrests can happen to anyone at any moment, it is uncommon for a young man like James to experience one.
“It’s very rare in young people and the most common cause in a young person would be something like hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which is a thickening of the heart muscle,” said Dr. Jonathan Reiner, a CNN medical analyst.
Although James has been out of the ICU, it is still not determined whether he will be able to continue playing on his basketball team. These medical emergencies can ultimately create disorders, affecting the competitiveness of young athletes in the future.
