A family spokeswoman said in a statement on Friday that USC freshman player Bronny James, the son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, is expected to return to the court “in the very near future” after having a cardiac arrest in July while working out.
According to the spokeswoman, a congenital heart defect was found to be the most likely reason for Bronny James’ cardiac arrest following an initial evaluation at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and subsequent evaluations at the Mayo Clinic and the Atlantic Health-Morristown Medical Center in New Jersey.
A congenital heart defect is a general term for any abnormalities of the heart’s anatomy that exist from birth and is caused when the heart or nearby blood arteries don’t grow normally before birth.
“It is an anatomically and functionally significant Congenital Heart Defect which can and will be treated,” the family spokeswoman said. “We are very confident in Bronny’s full recovery and 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.”
After suffering a heart attack on July 24 at USC’s Galen Center, James was treated at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles for three days before being released.
Nearly one year to the day after Trojans center Vincent Iwuchukwu passed out during a workout due to a cardiac condition last summer, the occurrence took place. Iwuchukwu played 14 games as a freshman after returning to the floor in January.
Five-star prospect James, who enrolled at USC in May, was expected to be selected in the first round of the NBA draft the following summer and maybe team up with his father at the next level.
The Trojans are anticipated to contend for the Pac-12 championship and an NCAA tournament berth. In addition to welcoming James, USC also added Isaiah Collier, who was ranked as the top recruit in the 2023 class by ESPN, and veteran Boogie Ellis.
