Bronny James Diagnosed With Congenital Heart Defect After Cardiac Arrest

The James family gave an update on his condition Friday evening.
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USC guard Bronny James’s cardiac arrest during a July 24 practice was most likely caused by a congenital heart defect, a James family spokesperson announced in a Friday evening release.

“After a comprehensive initial evaluation at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center led by Dr. Merije Chukumerije and follow-up evaluations at the Mayo Clinic led by Dr. Michael J. Ackerman and Atlantic Health/Morristown Medical Center led by Dr. Matthew W. Martinez, the probable cause of Mr. James's sudden cardiac arrest has been identified,” the statement read. “It is an anatomically and functionally significant Congenital Heart Defect which can and will be treated.”

The release went on to characterize James’s doctors as “very confident in Bronny’s full recovery and return to basketball in the very near future.”

James is the son of Lakers forward LeBron James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.

News broke of James’s health scare on July 25, as the James family revealed in a statement Bronny had collapsed during a Trojans practice. He was taken to the hospital and briefly treated in the intensive care unit, which he left after being stabilized.

After being discharged from the hospital, Bronny made multiple public appearances with his father while recovering, including at a Dodgers game and Drake concert.

USC is scheduled to open its season on Nov. 6 against Kansas State in Las Vegas.


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Patrick Andres
PATRICK ANDRES

Patrick Andres is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in December 2022, having worked for The Blade, Athlon Sports, Fear the Sword and Diamond Digest. Andres has covered everything from zero-attendance Big Ten basketball to a seven-overtime college football game. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism with a double major in history .