LeBron James Jr., the son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, who is a freshman at the University of Southern California, collapsed at practice Monday after suffering cardiac arrest. James Jr., known as Brony, was treated in intensive care but later released from ICU in stable condition, according to a statement from a spokesperson for LeBron James and his wife, Savannah. James Jr. was released from Sinai on Thursday and sent home to rest.
Merije Chukumerije, a cardiologist at Cedars, said in a statement that he was optimistic about Bronny James’ “Progress continues and we are encouraged by his response.”
Here’s what you need to know:
What happened?
According to the family’s statement, Bronny James was practicing with the USC men’s basketball team in Los Angeles when he went into cardiac arrest.
The Los Angeles Fire Department received a call for medical assistance and responded at 9:26 a.m. in the university’s Galen Center gym. According to the James family’s statement, medical personnel treated Brony James and he was taken to the hospital.
In Cedars Sinai’s statement, Dr. Chukumerije said Bronny James arrived at the hospital “fully conscious, neurologically intact and stable.”
“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,” the James family said in a statement.
Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart stops and is different from a heart attack, in which blood flow to the heart is blocked. The survival rate for cardiac arrest when treated with bystander CPR is about 11 percent, but the rate increases to about 41 percent if victims receive immediate defibrillation. It is unclear what kind of treatment Bronny James received.
Another USC player, Vincent Iwuchukwu, suffered a similar cardiac arrest during practice last summer when he was also a freshman. According to the Los Angeles Times, Iwuchukwu was revived using a defibrillator and hospitalized. He returned to play 14 games for the team last season.
James could enter NBA draft after one year at USC LeBron James, 38, has expressed his desire to play with Brony in the NBA
What happens next?
The USC men’s basketball team was scheduled to take a 10-day trip to Greece and Croatia starting Aug. 5 to play three games against professional teams, according to a statement from the school. It was unclear whether those plans would change after James’ hospitalization.
Dr Tsukumerie said doctors would continue to monitor James and that “his examination will continue”.
What was the reaction?
James’ collapse and hospitalization were reminiscent of when Buffalo Bills’ Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field during a game in January.
“Prayers to Brony and the James family too,” Hamlin posted on Tuesday. “Here’s to you guys, like you did for me my whole process.”
Magic Johnson, another Lakers great, he said he was praying for brony james and “hoping for a full and speedy recovery.”
