Bronny James was transported to the hospital on Monday after having a heart collapse while working out.
After making a 911 call from the Galen Centre, the USC freshman, who is the oldest son of Lakers star LeBron James, was attended to by medical personnel and taken to a hospital in an ambulance, according to TMZ Sports. Tuesday saw the publication of a statement from a James family representative stating that Bronny is now in “stable condition and no longer in ICU.”
A USC player has experienced cardiac arrest for the second year in a row.
Who is Vince Iwuchukwu?
On July 1, 2022, Trojans centre Vincent Iwuchukwu suffered a heart arrest while participating in a summer exercise, but he was able to heal and return to the team last year.
While working out in the summer, Iwuchukwu was doing well, but USC assistant coach Eric Mobley noticed something seemed different when Iwuchukwu collected a rebound with less force than usual. Mobley called over head coach Andy Enfield as the players were taking a break to inform him that Iwuchukwu “didn’t look right.”
USC trainers Jon Yonamine, Erin Tillman, and Lauren Crawford responded instantly to Iwuchukwu’s collapse by using the automated external defibrillator (AED) and doing CPR. Iwuchukwu was yelled at by Mobley constantly, and it was only later that he realised how serious the matter was.
After the shock, Iwuchukwu did awaken, and he was taken to an ambulance. He spent a few days in the hospital, but the cause of the incident remained a mystery. It was called a “freak accident” and compared to Damar Hamlin’s incident in the Bills vs. Bengals NFL game in 2023.
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Later, to control his heart rate, an implanted cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) was inserted into his chest.
Iwuchukwu first questioned if he would ever be able to play basketball again throughout his recovery, but he wasn’t prepared to give up on the sport. After working with the coaching staff for months, he was finally able to play for USC on January 12 against Colorado, scoring 68 points.
After being cleared to play, Iwuchukwu was able to appear in 14 games. He scored a season-high 19 points in a 61-58 loss to Oregon State on Feb. 11.
