Bronny James' heart stopped and was briefly unconscious before resuscitation

27 July 2023 , 21:17

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Bronny James suffered a cardiac arrest (Image: Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Bronny James - the son of NBA great LeBron James - had his heart stop and he was left unconscious after suffering a cardiac arrest whilst in training on Monday.

Bronny collapsed during a workout with USC in preparation for an upcoming 10-day exhibition tour in Greece and Croatia. A call to the emergency services was made at 9:26 am, and the teenager was rushed to hospital.

He was taken to the intensive care unit but was released from ICU having been in a stable condition. According to the Los Angeles Times, Bronny lost consciousness between the cardiac arrest and being placed into an ambulance.

Quick-thinking university staff attended to the 18-year-old college star and helped resuscitate him after his heart stopped before the emergency services arrived on the scene.

The news was released in a family statement on Tuesday, which confirmed the teenager's stable condition. "Yesterday while practicing, Bronny James suffered a cardiac arrest," the family statement said. "Medical staff was able to treat Bronny and take him to the hospital. He is now in stable condition and no longer in ICU.

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"We ask for respect and privacy for the James family and we will update media when there is more information." On the back of the response from USC staff, Lebron, who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers, and his wife Savannah thanked the college medical team for their efforts.

"LeBron and Savannah (Bronny's parents) 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." On Thursday, Merije Chukumerije - a cardiovascular doctor at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center - confirmed Bronny had been discharged from hospital.

Bronny is the son of NBA great LeBron James (Getty Images)

This is the second time a USC student has collapsed on the court in just over a year. In July 2022, Bronny's teammate Vince Iwuchukwu collapsed at the Gallen Center after his heart stopped. Once again USC staff acted quickly and attempted to resuscitate the student within a minute of him falling unconscious.

One received an automated external defibrillator from the hallway and attached it to Iwuchukwu's chest. Following the use of the defibrillator, Iwuchukwu was brought back to consciousness and remained awake as the ambulance arrived on the scene.

USC coach Andy Enfield hailed the medical staff earlier this year, commenting: "With something like this, where it’s a life-or-death situation, to perform under pressure and do what they’re trained to do at that level, it’s really just incredible. They gave Vince just such incredible care, as quickly as could be possible in a situation like that."

Joshua Lees