Bronny James cardiac arrest - latest: LeBron thanks son’s doctors as Elon Musk pushes anti-vax conspiracy

LeBron James’ son, Bronny, was rushed to hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest during a basketball workout on Monday, according to reports.

The rising basketball star suffered the cardiac incident during practice at USC on Monday, according to TMZ. He was rushed to the hospital, but has since been released from an intensive care unit and is reportedly in stable condition.

Bronny, 18, has committed to playing for the USC Trojans beginning next season. He is expected to be drafted into the NBA within the next few years.

“Yesterday while practising, Bronny James suffered a cardiac arrest. Medical staff were able to treat Bronny and take him to the hospital,” a James family spokesperson told TMZ. “He is now in stable condition and no longer in ICU. We ask for respect and privacy for the James family and we will update media when there is more information.”

Bronny was taken by ambulance from USC’s Galen Center, where the school’s basketball team plays and practices, after a 911 call was reportedly made at 9.26am Monday.

Key Points

• LeBron James’ son Bronny suffers cardiac arrest at basketball workout

• A timeline of LeBron and Savannah James’ relationship

• Damar Hamlin offers message of support to LeBron James’ family after son Bronny suffers cardiac arrest

• WATCH: Stephen A Smith reacts to news of Bronny’s hospitalisation

• Elon Musk responding to Bronny James is exactly what we can expect of Twitter now

Cardiac arrest, basketball, and conspiracy theories: What happened to LeBron James’ son Bronny?

10:00 , Graig Graziosi

LeBron “Bronny” James Jr, the 18-year-old son of NBA legend LeBron James, was hospitalised after he experienced cardiac arrest while practicing basketball at the University of South Carolina.

Bronny collapsed on Monday while practicing at USC, where he is expected to play college basketball beginning next season.

The rising basketball star was rushed to the hospital, where he was treated and later released from an intensive care unit. He is now in stable condition.

While many fans of Bronny, his father, and of basketball in general poured out in support of the young man’s recovery, others took a more conspiratorial tone, co-opting his health condition in an effort to push their own agendas.

Here’s everything we know about Bronny James’ collapse and hospitalisation.

READ MORE:

What happened to LeBron James’ son Bronny?

ICYMI: Professional athletes show support for Bronny

09:20 , Graig Graziosi

Since news broke of his cardiac arrest, sports figures and commenters have offered support for Bronny as he recovers in the hospital.

Damar Hamlin, Donovan Mitchell, and Magic Johnson are just a few of the athletes who have offered sympathy statements in response to young athlete’s unfortunate health scare.

Cardiologists say Bronny’s chances of full recovery are ‘really promising’

09:00 , Graig Graziosi

A pair of cardiologists who did not treat Bronny James but are familiar with cardiac arrests spoke to the Los Angeles Times and offered their thoughts on his likely recovery.

They noted that Bronny’s removal from an internsive care unit within 24 hours of his cardiac event was “really promising.”

“Even for a young, healthy athlete, being out of the ICU already is pretty good,” Dr Cheng-Han Chen, medical director of Pacific Cardiovascular Associates Medical Group’s structural heart disease program in Southern California, told the LA Times.

Full story: Why there’s nothing suspicious about Bronny James’s cardiac arrest

08:25 , Rachel Sharp

What does the medical evidence really tell us about the danger of cardiac arrest from Covid-19 vaccines, and basketball itself?

Having spent much of this evening delving into that question, my conclusion is that we currently have no cause to think that there is anything suspicious about what happened to Bronny James – and approximately 0.0001 reasons to blame the vaccine.

Check out my full debunker article here:

Anti-vaxxers claim Bronny James’s cardiac arrest is suspicious. Here’s why it isn’t

NBA star Lamar Odom offers support for Bronny

08:00 , Graig Graziosi

NBA star Lamar Odom, a two-time National Champion during his time with the LA Lakers, offered his support to Bronny following the 18-year-old’s cardiac arrest.

“Sending prayers to Bronny and his family! Wishing a speedy recovery for this young man,” he wrote on Twitter.

'No association' between Covid jab and actual cardiac arrest

07:00 , Io Dodds

I mentioned before that myocarditis is a very different thing to an actual cardiac arrest. Here's a study illustrating that difference.

Other research has found that Myocarditis, which is a heart problem caused by inflammation of the heart muscles, is indeed slightly more likely following the Covid jab (although still very rare in absolute terms).

However, an article published in the American Heart Association's academic journal Circulation this April found no association between cardiac arrests outside of hospital and Covid-19 vaccination.

Indeed, as Mike Finger, a sports columnist for the San Antonio Express-News, pointed out on Tuesday, Wikipedia's list of "notable cases" of sudden cardiac deaths among athletes has more than a hundred entries, and dates back to 1906.

Elon Musk slammed for pushing anti-vax conspiracy in response to LeBron James’ son Bronny suffering cardiac arrest

07:00 , Graig Graziosi

When replying to a news story about how Lebron James’ son Bronny suffered from cardiac arrest, Elon Musk suggested the medical emergency could have been linked to the Covid-19 vaccine.

He tweeted, “We cannot ascribe everything to the vaccine, but, by the same token, we cannot ascribe nothing. Myocarditis is a known side-effect. The only question is whether it is rare or common.”

Yale School of Medicine wrote on its website that myocarditis, or swelling of the heart muscle, “is a rare side effect of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, which have been used with great success as protection against the SARS CoV-2 virus and its variants.”

The 18-year-old son of the basketball superstar was rushed to hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest during a basketball workout on Monday.

READ MORE:

Elon Musk slammed for anti-vax rant in response to LeBron James’ son’s cardiac arrest

Bronny’s incident is second for USC in two years

05:29 , Io Dodds

Bronny is the second USC basketball player in two years to experience a cardiac event during a practice.

On 1 July last year, another member of the university’s Trojans basketball team suffered a sudden cardiac arrest while working out at the Galen Centre.

"I just got super dizzy out of nowhere," Vincent Iwuchukwu later said about the incident. "I was about to drink my water, and I was like, 'Bro, I'm so dizzy'. And bam – that's all I remembered."

At the time, he didn't realise how serious the situation was. As USC Trojans assistant coach Eric Mobley shouted "get up, Vince! Don't die on me!", the young player thought to himself: "Don't die on me? What does he mean don't die?"

Mr Iwuchukwu did not die, and spent a few days in hospital where doctors couldn't find a clear cause for the incident. Initially, he was told he might never play basketball again.

But six months later he was back in play, with a defibrillator implanted inside his chest to regulate his heartrate. Last season, he played 14 games.

Fox News host joins Musk in questioning Covid jab

04:14 , Io Dodds

Fox News host Laura Ingraham has lent her backing to Elon Musk and his so far groundless claim that Bronny James's collapse could be due to being vaccinated.

"Today Elon Musk was pilloried for suggesting that the Covid shot might have had something to do with what happened to Bronny," said Ms Ingraham, in a clip reposted online by the left-wing campaign group Media Matters for America.

"Now, he may be completely wrong. It's speculation. But we do know that myocarditis is a side-effect of the vaccine.

"Given everything the so-called experts got wrong during Covid, we shouldn't condemn anyone who is asking questions – as these cases seem to be accelerating."

As I mentioned earlier, myocarditis is not the same thing as a cardiac arrest, and is extremely rare as a side-effect of Covid jabs. There is a far bigger risk of cardiac arrest from simply being a top-level basketball player.

Ms Ingraham also didn’t cite any evidence that such cases are increasing, beyond the fact that there have been a few lately. This is not the first such cluster – three international soccer players died of cardiac arrests between 2003 and 2007, and one basketballer and one footballer died similarly in 1990.

Bronny’s younger brother Bryce posts in support

03:05 , Io Dodds

Bryce Maximus, the younger brother of Bronny James, has posted a message of support on his Instagram page.

The 16-year-old, who received a scholarship offer to play basketball in the NCAA's Division I last year, sent his followers a photo of him and Mr James standing side by side looking at a phone screen together, with a love heart emoji.

Cardiac arrest has long been a danger for young basketballers

01:57 , Io Dodds

Sudden cardiac arrest is the leading medical cause of death for college athletes in the US, according to research from long before the Covid era.

That figure comes from a 2011 study by the University of Washington, which found that 45 athletes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) had died of such incidents between 2004 and 2008.

Excluding those who had died of non-medical or traumatic factors, and those whose cause of death was unknown, this represented more than half of the NCAA athletes who died in those five years.

Older basketball fans might remember the sudden death of Hank Gathers, a college player in Los Angeles who died on the court in 1990 from a cardiac arrest.

Basketball and football seem to be most dangerous. According to a 2016 report by an NCAA task force, they made up 50 p for 50 per cent of sudden cardiac deaths in the NCAA, despite making up only 23 per cent of all male NCAA athletes.

Covid is far riskier than vaccines – and sport is riskier than both

01:03 , Io Dodds

As a complication of Covid-19 vaccines, myocarditis – a heart problem caused by inflammation, which can lead to cardiac arrest in severe cases – is exceedingly rare.

A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that between the ages of18 and 29, it affects no more than 11.6 vaccinated young men per 100,000 – or 0.01 per cent.

What is slightly more common, though still rare in this age group, is that Covid-19 itself causes myocarditis. For young men who had suffered recent Covid infections, the rate was 63.7 in every 100,000.

Altogether, the study found, the risk of myocarditis in this group was 7-8 times higher for being infected with Covid-19 than it was for being vaccinated. Remember, this is just the risk of myocarditis, not a full cardiac arrest.

Another study of nearly 43 million people, backed by the American Heart Association, found that the risks rose for young men under 40 after the second dose of some vaccines. But it was still extremely low in absolute terms, at no more than 97 extra cases per 1 million.

All of these numbers appear to be far lower than the background risks of being a young athlete in the first place. According to the University of Washington's Sports Institute, about 1 or 2 in every 100,000 young athletes experience a sudden cardiac arrest every year.

Men are at higher risk than women, Black men most of all, and the riskiest sports appear to be football and basketball. For male basketballers at the top level of US college sports, the risk is 20 per 100,000 each year.

This post originally overestimated the CDC’s figure for myocarditis in vaccinated young men, and has now been corrected.

Damar Hamlin offers message of support to LeBron James’ family after son Bronny suffers cardiac arrest

Wednesday 26 July 2023 00:00 , Graig Graziosi

Damar Hamlin has sent out a message of support to the family of LeBron James, after his son Bronny suffered a cardiac arrest during a basketball workout.

James was taken to hospital from his session at the University of Southern California (USC), where he has since been released from intensive care and is in a reportedly stable condition.

Buffalo Bills safety Hamlin suffered a similar incident in January when he suffered a cardiac arrest following a tackle in an NFL match against the Cincinnati Bengals. On that occasion he needed CPR on the field and was hospitalised for over a week before his release, while support was shown to him and his family from all sides of any sporting divides including from fans and fellow athletes.

READ MORE:

Damar Hamlin offers message of support after Bronny James suffers cardiac arrest

A timeline of LeBron and Savannah James’ relationship

Tuesday 25 July 2023 23:00 , Graig Graziosi

LeBron James and his wife, Savannah James, have been together for more than two decades and celebrated huge milestones.

The pair first met back in high school during the early ‘00s, before LeBron officially entered the NBA in 2003. Following his first year as a Cleveland Cavaliers player, he and Savannah had two children. Years later, they announced their engagement and later welcomed a third child.

Throughout their 20-year relationship, they’ve done philanthropic work together and supported each other’s individual careers.

READ MORE:

Who is LeBron’s wife Savannah James?

ICYMI: LeBron James’ son Bronny suffers cardiac arrest at basketball workout

Tuesday 25 July 2023 22:30 , Graig Graziosi

LeBron James’ son, Bronny, has been rushed to hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest during a basketball workout, according to reports.

The 18-year-old son of NBA legend James is a rising basketball star in his own right and has committed to playing for USC Trojans at college next season, with an expectation that he’ll be drafted into the NBA in the near future.

He suffered the cardiac incident at USC (University of Southern California) on Monday, according to a report by TMZ, and was rushed to hospital, although he has since been released from the Intensive Care Unit and is in a stable condition.

READ MORE:

LeBron James’ son Bronny suffers cardiac arrest at basketball workout

Cardiac arrest, basketball, and conspiracy theories: What happened to LeBron James’ son Bronny?

Tuesday 25 July 2023 22:00 , Graig Graziosi

LeBron “Bronny” James Jr, the 18-year-old son of NBA legend LeBron James, was hospitalised after he experienced cardiac arrest while practicing basketball at the University of South Carolina.

Bronny collapsed on Monday while practicing at USC, where he is expected to play college basketball beginning next season.

The rising basketball star was rushed to the hospital, where he was treated and later released from an intensive care unit. He is now in stable condition.

While many fans of Bronny, his father, and of basketball in general poured out in support of the young man’s recovery, others took a more conspiratorial tone, co-opting his health condition in an effort to push their own agendas.

Here’s everything we know about Bronny James’ collapse and hospitalisation.

READ MORE:

What happened to LeBron James’ son Bronny?

Cardiologists say Bronny’s chances of full recovery are ‘really promising’

Tuesday 25 July 2023 21:32 , Graig Graziosi

A pair of cardiologists who did not treat Bronny James but are familiar with cardiac arrests spoke to the Los Angeles Times and offered their thoughts on his likely recovery.

They noted that Bronny’s removal from an internsive care unit within 24 hours of his cardiac event was “really promising.”

“Even for a young, healthy athlete, being out of the ICU already is pretty good,” Dr Cheng-Han Chen, medical director of Pacific Cardiovascular Associates Medical Group’s structural heart disease program in Southern California, told the LA Times.

Elon Musk slammed for pushing anti-vax conspiracy in response to LeBron James’ son Bronny suffering cardiac arrest

Tuesday 25 July 2023 20:50 , Graig Graziosi

When replying to a news story about how Lebron James’ son Bronny suffered from cardiac arrest, Elon Musk suggested the medical emergency could have been linked to the Covid-19 vaccine.

He tweeted, “We cannot ascribe everything to the vaccine, but, by the same token, we cannot ascribe nothing. Myocarditis is a known side-effect. The only question is whether it is rare or common.”

Yale School of Medicine wrote on its website that myocarditis, or swelling of the heart muscle, “is a rare side effect of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, which have been used with great success as protection against the SARS CoV-2 virus and its variants.”

The 18-year-old son of the basketball superstar was rushed to hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest during a basketball workout on Monday.

READ MORE:

Elon Musk slammed for anti-vax rant in response to LeBron James’ son’s cardiac arrest

NBA star Lamar Odom offers support for Bronny

Tuesday 25 July 2023 20:30 , Graig Graziosi

NBA star Lamar Odom, a two-time National Champion during his time with the LA Lakers, offered his support to Bronny following the 18-year-old’s cardiac arrest.

“Sending prayers to Bronny and his family! Wishing a speedy recovery for this young man,” he wrote on Twitter.

Bronny’s incident is second for USC in two years

Tuesday 25 July 2023 19:54 , Graig Graziosi

Bronny is the second USC basketball player in two years to experience a cardiac event during a practice.

During a workout at the Galen Centre last sumer, incoming freshman Vincent Iwuchukwu suffered a cardiac arrest and required hospitalisation.

He recovered and went on to play in 14 games for the Trojans last season.

VOICES: Elon Musk responding to Bronny James is exactly what we can expect of Twitter now

Tuesday 25 July 2023 19:29 , Graig Graziosi

Ahmed Baba writes for The Independent:

We were all just reminded why Elon Musk’s ownership of Twitter, now rebranded X, is so poisonous to our discourse.

Son of basketball legend LeBron James, 18-year-old Bronny James, suffered from cardiac arrest during a basketball workout. He was rushed to the hospital and, as of Tuesday afternoon, is in a stable condition. As we’ve come to see so commonly with sports stars and conditions like this, anti-vaccine conspiracy theories surged on social media, especially Twitter. The owner of the site couldn’t help but to join in.

Elon Musk wasted no time immediately suggesting the Covid-19 vaccine could be to blame. Musk tweeted (or xeeted?): “We cannot ascribe everything to the vaccine, but, by the same token, we cannot ascribe nothing. Myocarditis is a known side-effect. The only question is whether it is rare or common.”

Musk sent that post only 30 minutes after the first TMZ report on Bronny’s condition was released. He had zero information on what could have caused Bronny’s cardiac arrest, nor does he have any unique insight into Bronny’s potential pre-existing conditions. But Musk didn’t let his lack of evidence spread this anti-vaccine conspiracy theory. A simple “I wish Bronny a speedy recovery” would’ve sufficed.

READ MORE:

Elon Musk responding to Bronny James is exactly what we can expect of Twitter now

Professional athletes show support for Bronny

Tuesday 25 July 2023 19:15 , Graig Graziosi

Since news broke of his cardiac arrest, sports figures and commenters have offered support for Bronny as he recovers in the hospital.

Damar Hamlin, Donovan Mitchell, and Magic Johnson are just a few of the athletes who have offered sympathy statements in response to young athlete’s unfortunate health scare.

What is cardiac arrest? The condition that sent LeBron James’ son Bronny to the hospital

Tuesday 25 July 2023 19:00 , Graig Graziosi

LeBron James’ son Bronny suffered cardiac arrest during his University of Southern California basketball practice and was rushed to the hospital, according to a statement released by the family’s spokesperson on Tuesday. The public statement confirmed Bronny was out of the ICU, stabilised, and in recovery.

Cardiac arrest is “the sudden loss of all heart activity due to an irregular heart rhythm,” and is also referred to as sudden cardiac arrest or sudden cardiac death, according to the Mayo Clinic. Cardiac arrest refers to when the heart stops completely, and the body no longer has blood or oxygen flow. If not treated immediately, the condition can lead to death.

The National Institute of Health attributes the cause of cardiac arrest to types of arrhythmias, irregular heartbeats that stop the blood from pumping through to the heart, with the main causes “ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia,” both types of arrhtyhmias.

READ MORE:

What is cardiac arrest? The condition that LeBron James’ son suffered from

WATCH: Stephen A Smith reacts to news of Bronny’s hospitalisation

Tuesday 25 July 2023 18:40 , Graig Graziosi

James family thanks USC staff for saving Bronny’s life

Tuesday 25 July 2023 18:20 , Graig Graziosi

Bronny James’ parents, LeBron and Savannah, issued a statement Tuesday thanking the University of South Carolina’s medical and athletic staff for saving him after the 18-year-old experienced cardiac arrest.

“LeBron and Savannah wish to publicly send their deepest thanks and appreciation to the USC medical and athletic staff for their incredible work and dedication to the safety of their athletes.”

Damar Hamlin offers message of support to LeBron James’ family after son Bronny suffers cardiac arrest

Tuesday 25 July 2023 18:10 , Graig Graziosi

Damar Hamlin has sent out a message of support to the family of LeBron James, after his son Bronny suffered a cardiac arrest during a basketball workout.

James was taken to hospital from his session at the University of Southern California (USC), where he has since been released from intensive care and is in a reportedly stable condition.

Buffalo Bills safety Hamlin suffered a similar incident in January when he suffered a cardiac arrest following a tackle in an NFL match against the Cincinnati Bengals. On that occasion he needed CPR on the field and was hospitalised for over a week before his release, while support was shown to him and his family from all sides of any sporting divides including from fans and fellow athletes.READ MORE:

Damar Hamlin offers message of support after Bronny James suffers cardiac arrest

A timeline of LeBron and Savannah James’ relationship

Tuesday 25 July 2023 18:02 , Graig Graziosi

LeBron James and his wife, Savannah James, have been together for more than two decades and celebrated huge milestones.

The pair first met back in high school during the early ‘00s, before LeBron officially entered the NBA in 2003. Following his first year as a Cleveland Cavaliers player, he and Savannah had two children. Years later, they announced their engagement and later welcomed a third child.

Throughout their 20-year relationship, they’ve done philanthropic work together and supported each other’s individual careers.

READ MORE:

Who is LeBron’s wife Savannah James?

WATCH: Stephen A Smith reacts to Bronny James’ hospitalisation

Tuesday 25 July 2023 17:26 , Graig Graziosi

Elon Musk baselessly hints that Covid-19 vaccine was involved in Bronny’s collapse

Tuesday 25 July 2023 17:16 , Graig Graziosi

Elon Musk, the CEO of Twitter, insinuated on Tuesday that Bronny James’ cardiac arrest was the result of the Covid-19 vaccine.

“We cannot ascribe everything to the vaccine, but, by the same token, we cannot ascribe nothing. Myocarditis is a known side-effect. The only question is whether it is rare or common,” he wrote in response to a news story about the risisng basketball star.

LeBron James’ son Bronny suffers cardiac arrest at basketball workout

Tuesday 25 July 2023 16:55 , Graig Graziosi

LeBron James’ son, Bronny, has been rushed to hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest during a basketball workout, according to reports.

The 18-year-old son of NBA legend James is a rising basketball star in his own right and has committed to playing for USC Trojans at college next season, with an expectation that he’ll be drafted into the NBA in the near future.

He suffered the cardiac incident at USC (University of Southern California) on Monday, according to a report by TMZ, and was rushed to hospital, although he has since been released from the Intensive Care Unit and is in a stable condition.

READ MORE:

LeBron James’ son Bronny suffers cardiac arrest at basketball workout