LeBron James Jr., the son of the Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James who is an incoming freshman at the University of Southern California, collapsed at practice on Monday after suffering a cardiac arrest. James Jr., who is known as Bronny, was hospitalized in the intensive care unit but later released from the I.C.U. in stable condition, according to a statement from a spokesman for LeBron James and his wife, Savannah. James Jr. was released from Cedars Sinai on Thursday and sent home to rest.
Merije Chukumerije, a cardiologist at Cedars, said in a statement that he was hopeful for Bronny James’s “continued progress and are encouraged by his response.”
Here’s what to know:
What happened?
According to the statement from the family, Bronny James was practicing with the U.S.C. men’s basketball team in Los Angeles when he suffered cardiac arrest.
The Los Angeles Fire Department received a call for medical aid and responded at 9:26 a.m. to the university’s Galen Center gymnasium. According to the James family’s statement, medical staff treated Bronny James, and he was taken to the hospital.
In the statement from Cedars Sinai, Dr. Chukumerije said that 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 U.S.C. medical and athletic staff for their incredible work and dedication to the safety of their athletes,” the James family said in their 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 cardiopulmonary resuscitation is about 11 percent, but the rate rises to about 41 percent if victims receive immediate defibrillation. It’s unclear what kind of treatment Bronny James received.
Another U.S.C. player, Vincent Iwuchukwu, similarly suffered a cardiac arrest during practice last summer, when he was also an incoming freshman. According to the Los Angeles Times, Iwuchukwu was revived using a defibrillator and was hospitalized. He returned to play 14 games for the team last season.
James would be eligible to enter the N.B.A. draft after one year at U.S.C. LeBron James, 38, has stated his desire to play with Bronny in the N.B.A.
What happens next?
The U.S.C. men’s basketball team was set 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 if those plans would change in the wake of James’s hospitalization.
Dr. Chukumerije said that doctors would continue monitoring James and that “his workup will be ongoing.”
What has the reaction been?
James’s collapse and hospitalization was reminiscent of when the Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field during a game in January.
“Prayers to Bronny and the James family as well,” Hamlin posted Tuesday. “Here for you guys just like you have been for me my entire process.”
Magic Johnson, another Lakers great, said he was praying for Bronny James and “hoping he makes a full and speedy recovery.”
