What Is Cardiac Arrest? Explaining Bronny James’s Condition Following Practice Incident

Bronny James, an incoming freshman on USC’s basketball team and the son of NBA legend LeBron James, suffered a cardiac arrest during a practice Monday, according to a statement released by a James family spokesperson. As of Tuesday, James, 18, is out of the ICU and in stable condition, per the statement.

James committed to play for the Trojans in May, staying in Los Angeles after playing for Sierra Canyon in high school. He made a public appearance alongside his father and the rest of his family earlier in July at ESPN’s ESPY Awards. LeBron James has stated on several occasions that one of his goals is to play with both of his sons in the NBA.

What is cardiac arrest?

Cardiac arrest “occurs when the heart malfunctions and stops beating unexpectedly,” per the American Heart Association. Cardiac arrest is not the same as a heart attack. In cardiac arrest, the heart stops beating regularly, and blood flow to the brain, lungs and other organs is interrupted. Symptoms include sudden collapse and difficulty breathing, per the National Institutes of Health. Warning signs of cardiac arrest include shortness of breath, extreme fatigue, chest pain, repeated dizziness and more.

Death can occur quickly for people undergoing cardiac arrest unless they are treated immediately, with CPR and the use of an automated external defibrillator (AED) greatly increasing the chances of survival.

Other athletes and cardiac arrest

James is the third athlete to have a known case of cardiac arrest in the past 12-plus months.

On July 1, 2022, his now teammate Vince Iwuchukwu also suffered a cardiac arrest during practice.

During a break for water, Iwuchukwu grew dizzy and eventually faded out of consciousness, per the Los Angeles Times. Multiple USC athletic trainers administered CPR to Iwuchukwu before deploying the AED, after which he regained consciousness.

Iwuchukwu was hospitalized for four days following the episode. Per the Times, Iwuchukwu did not undergo any physical activity for three months following the arrest, and he underwent an operation to place a battery-powered implantable defibrillator in his chest, which is able to monitor his heart rate.

Iwuchukwu returned to play for the Trojans in January, appearing in 14 regular-season games.

In January, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest during an NFL game. Like Iwuchukwu, he was administered CPR and an AED before being taken to the hospital. Hamlin was hospitalized for nine days after the episode. Hamlin’s cardiac arrest was triggered by commotio cordis, a rare occurrence in which the heartbeat is disrupted by a blow to the chest during a specific moment in the heartbeat cycle.

In April, Hamlin was fully cleared to resume all football activities.

In December 2020, then Florida forward Keyontae Johnson underwent cardiac arrest and collapsed during a game. He missed the rest of that season and the following one before returning to play for Kansas State in the ’22–23 season. He played in 36 games and was drafted by the Thunder in June’s NBA draft.