LeBron James’ Son Diagnosed With Congenital Heart Defect After Cardiac Arrest

LeBron James with his son Bronny after Sierra Canyon beat Akron St. Vincent - St. Mary in a high school basketball game in Columbus, Ohio on Dec. 14, 2019. Jay LaPrete/AP Photo

Doctors found that a congenital heart defect likely caused the sudden cardiac arrest of Bronny James, the 18-year-old son of NBA Lakers star LeBron James, last month, a family spokesperson said on Aug. 26.

Bronny James, the oldest of the three James siblings, suffered a cardiac arrest while practicing basketball at the University of Southern California (USC) on July 24.

He was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and discharged three days later.

A family spokesperson said the probable cause of his cardiac arrest, where his heart stopped beating, had been identified “after a comprehensive initial evaluation” at the center and follow-up evaluations at the Mayo Clinic and Atlantic Health/Morristown Medical Center.

“It is an anatomically and functionally significant Congenital Heart Defect which can and will be treated,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

The spokesperson added that his family is “very confident” that Bronny James will make a full recovery and will be able to “return to basketball in the very near future.”

“We will continue to provide updates to media and respectfully reiterate the family’s request for privacy,” the statement reads.

Bronny James, whose full name is LeBron James Jr., committed to USC in May after the 6-foot-3 guard became one of the nation’s top prospects out of Sierra Canyon School in nearby Chatsworth. He didn’t join the Trojans on their European tour this month.

Cardiac Arrest  Speculation

Previously, social media was rife with speculation about the cause of his cardiac arrest, including a post by X (formerly  Twitter) owner Elon Musk suggesting the COVID-19 vaccination could be the cause.

“We cannot ascribe everything to the vaccine, but, by the same token, we cannot ascribe nothing. Myocarditis is a known side-effect. The only question is whether it is rare or common,” Mr. Musk stated.

On July 26, CNN interviewed its own medical analyst, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who asserted that sudden cardiac arrest events involving young athletes are “more common than people realize.”

Meanwhile, top cardiologist and COVID-19 vaccine skeptic Dr. Peter McCullough responded, suggesting there is a connection.

“We are seeing a wide range of vaccine associated collapses among on screen reporters, athletes, and many others that can be caused by POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) which has a benign prognosis all the way to myocarditis and ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation which can be fatal,” Dr. McCullough wrote on his Substack page.

He added: “Details regarding the COVID-19 vaccine taken, when the doses were administered, the initial cardiac rhythm at the time of collapse followed by cardiac testing including ECG, blood tests, and MRI are all needed to ascertain the prognosis.”

Bronny James’s cardiac arrest marks the second USC player in two years to suffer cardiac arrest with the program. Former player Vince Iwuchukwu suffered a cardiac arrest last year during a team practice, according to reports.

Jack Phillips and the Associated Press contributed to this report.