USC Basketball: Damar Hamlin Sends Message Of Encouragement To Bronny James And Family

The Buffalo Bills star unfortunately has some experience with heart problems.

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin took to his Twitter account to send a very kind missive to incoming USC freshman guard Bronny James and his family after news broke that the Sierra Canyon School product had collapsed due to a cardiac arrest at a Monday Galen Center workout.

Prayers to Bronny & The James family as well. 🙏🏽 here for you guys just like you have been for me my entire process.

— 𝐃𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐫 𝐇𝐚𝐦𝐥𝐢𝐧 (@HamlinIsland) July 25, 2023

It's a kind and generous message, and especially considering the nature of its messenger, it holds special significance for Los Angeles, we're sure.

Hamlin, a six-foot Second-Team All-ACC selection while at Pittsburgh, had been selected with the No. 212 pick in the 2021 draft by a contending Bills club, though clearly he wasn't a particularly highly-regarded prospect. He emerged as a starter in 2022, his second pro season, after starter Micah Hyde was forced to miss the season with a Week 2 neck ailment.

The 25-year-old suffered a terrifying in-game collapse in a January 2nd contest against the Cincinnati Bengals due to a cardiac arrest of his own. He had tackled Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins on a play, then stood back up afterwards and quickly fell without contact. On-site paramedics and team trainers immediately attended to him and were able to bring back his heartbeat before he was transported to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

After the fact, Hamlin revealed that the official condition that caused the cardiac arrest was commotio cordis, a disrupted heart rhythm caused by a blow to the chest that is 97% fatal when not treated within the first three minutes after an impact.

It's nice to know that Bronny James, his father LeBron (the Los Angeles Lakers superstar) and the rest of their family had been there for Hamlin in his darkest hour, and that Hamlin in turn will be there for them during theirs. 

Bronny has been released from the hospital, but as of this writing doctors are still trying to decipher exactly what caused his cardiac arrest.