U.S. News

Bronny James in Stable Condition After Cardiac Arrest

By Jake Beardslee · July 26, 2023

Bronny James, son of NBA superstar LeBron James and a star freshman basketball player at the University of Southern California, suffered a sudden cardiac arrest during practice, according to a statement released by the family.

“Yesterday while practicing, Bronny James suffered a cardiac arrest. Medical staff was able to treat Bronny and take him to the hospital. He is now in stable condition and no longer in the ICU,” the statement said.

James’ parents, LeBron and Savannah, thanked the USC medical staff and athletic department. “We ask for respect and privacy for the James family, and we will update the media when there is more information,” they said in the statement.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta weighed in on James’ medical emergency, telling CNN, “He’s 18 years old. Sounds like he had this sudden cardiac arrest. There was a very fast - it sounds like - resuscitation taken to the hospital. But as you point out, given the fact that he was in the intensive care unit but was then able to to leave the intensive care unit and is on a general care floor, that that is obviously the most important sort of headline there,” said Gupta.

While cardiac arrest in young athletes is rare, Gupta noted it happens to thousands of individuals each year. “Obviously the cardiac arrest, what exactly triggered that? What caused that? That’s what the doctors are going to be sort of investigating over the next several days,” he said.

Gupta explained that moving James out of intensive care indicates his medical team believes he is now stable enough not to need constant monitoring. “Again, the most important thing, thankfully, is that he appears to have been resuscitated successfully. And in terms of how doctors are looking at him now, they think that he is stable enough to not need intensive care at this point, which is also good news,” according to Gupta.

The cause of James’ cardiac arrest is still unknown. The James family said they will provide further updates on his condition when there is more information.