Bronny James, oldest son of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, suffered a cardiac arrest Monday and is in stable condition.
“Yesterday while practicing Bronny James suffered a cardiac arrest,” a James family spokesperson 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 the media when there is more information.
“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.”
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who has miraculously resumed his career just six months after suffering cardiac arrest during a “Monday Night Football” game last season versus the Cincinnati Bengals, tweeted his support for James.
Prayers to Bronny & The James family as well. 🙏🏽 here for you guys just like you have been for me my entire process.
James, 18 years-of-age, is going into his freshman year at USC and is ranked 20th in the 2023 ESPN 100 rankings. He is the sixth-rated point guard in the class of 2023.
It is the second consecutive year the Trojans program has had a player suffer cardiac arrest.
Center Vincent Iwuchukwu, one of the premier incoming freshmen in college basketball last season, suffered a cardiac arrest incident on July 1, 2022, and was hospitalized for a few days. He returned to play for Trojans in January, appearing in 14 games.
James was set to begin his collegiate career overseas as USC men’s basketball was preparing to leave next week for an exhibition tour in Croatia and Greece.
According to NCAA rules, USC was given 10 extra practice days to prepare for the exhibition tour that will include a series of matchups in Athens and Mykonos, Greece, and Dubrovnik, Croatia.