Bronny James’ basketball dreams were put on hold this week, after the McDonald’s All American and USC freshman collapsed on the court during practice Monday and suffered a cardiac arrest.
The 18-year-old was transported to the hospital and admitted into the intensive care unit, but has since been transferred and is currently listed in stable condition, according to a statement from the James family.
Cardiac arrest is when the heart stops beating suddenly and in an unexpected way. A healthy, unaffected heart pumps about 60 to 90 beats per minute, bringing nutrition and oxygen to vital organs like the brain, liver and kidneys. Cardiac arrest is considered among the most serious emergency medical complications.
The oldest son of Los Angeles Lakers star and NBA legend LeBron James, Bronny committed to USC with hopes of carving out his own legacy, with a shot in the NBA a real possibility.
James Sr., 38, has repeatedly said he would love to finish his career playing alongside his son, but a complicated and serious medical condition puts that dream on the backburner as the James family focuses on Bronny’s health and recovery.
While the severity of his condition is unclear, there are multiple high-profile examples of elite athletes suffering similar medical emergencies and making a successful recovery and comeback.
Just last year, the world watched in shocked silence as Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field during a Monday Night Football game in a pivotal matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Paramedics and team doctors rushed to his aid and began administering CPR to keep his heart pumping while he remained unconscious; their quick actions are credited as being the decisive factor in saving the then-24-year-old’s life.
Since then, Hamlin met with President Joe Biden, raised millions for charitable organizations and advocated for the importance of knowing CPR.
And only four months after one of the most high-profile and shocking injuries in American sports history, he was cleared to resume his playing career. Hamlin is now in the middle of his comeback — the Buffalo Bills organization actually opened its mandatory training camp for veterans on Tuesday.
Hamlin reported to camp and was scheduled to take a physical to give him the final OK to resume his career. Before training camp began, he posted on Twitter, “wish me luck.”
Hours later, Hamlin returned to the social media platform to offer prayers and well wishes to Bronny James.
A little more than a year prior to Hamlin’s shocking medical scare, another elite athlete suffered a similar medical emergency on the world’s largest stage.
In May 2021, Danish soccer star Christian Eriksen collapsed on the field during a UEFA Euro group stage match against Finland.
He collapsed in the 42nd minute of the match, falling to the ground in a heap as his teammates and opponents looked on in shock. As was the case with Hamlin, paramedics performed CPR and used an automated external defibrillator (AED) to shock his body to restore the rhythm of his heart.
Eriksen received a pacemaker as part of his recovery and returned to international play last year, 17 months after his on-field collapse. He scored a goal in the first two minutes in his return to the pitch.
He continued to compete with Denmark Men’s National Team as part of its Qatar World Cup roster, starting all three matches and captaining the team’s final match against Australia.
His new medical device forced him to leave Italian club Internazionale, but he’s returned to play in the Premier League, the world’s most competitive and high-profile soccer league. After one season at London-based side Brentford, he signed for Manchester United — one of the most popular and widely supported teams in the world — on a deal that pays him more than $10 million per year.
Perhaps no instance of an athlete suffering a cardiac arrest is as similar to Bronny James than Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Keyontae Johnson.
In December 2020, Johnson, then a 21-year-old member of the Florida Gators men’s basketball team, collapsed on the court against Florida State, seconds after throwing down a thunderous alley-oop. He was carted off the court and taken to a nearby emergency room and was placed into a medically induced coma.
After three days of uncertainty, he opened his eyes and regained consciousness. He returned to the team weeks later in a coaching capacity and remained on the bench for nearly two seasons. He served as an honorary captain during Florida’s senior night, but he still wanted to pursue his college hoop dreams with the NBA considered a longshot proposition.
Nearly two years after he collapsed on the court, Johnson was given the all-clear to resume his playing career. He entered the NCAA Transfer Portal, and committed to play basketball at Kansas State. As a veteran leader for the Wildcats, Johnson thrived in his return to play, averaging more 17.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per games en route to an Elite Eight appearance in the NCAA March Madness Tournament.
“It’s been in Ohio as early as the mid-1850s at least, brought in as an ornamental plant because of its unique foliage and white flowers,” Gardner said. “It was actually planted in people’s landscaping, and it has been spreading.”
Despite the improbability of his comeback, Johnson received medical clearance by the NBA and was drafted with the No. 50 pick in last month’s NBA Draft. He has since signed a two-way deal with the Thunder, meaning he will split his time between the team’s main roster and its G League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue.
Other high-profile basketball prospects have recovered from serious heart complications in recent years. Bronny’s USC teammate Vince Iwuchukwu suffered a cardiac arrest last summer and was cleared to return in January.
Shareef O’Neal, like Bronny, the son of an NBA Hall-of-Famer, underwent heart surgery as a freshman at UCLA. The middle child of Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal, Shareef eventually transferred to his dad’s alma mater, Louisiana State University. He went undrafted in the NBA Draft, but most recently played as a member of the NBA’s G League Ignite, which is located in Nevada.