Bronny James' cardiac arrest likely caused by congenital heart defect
The probable cause of the sudden cardiac arrest suffered by USC freshman Bronny James has been identified as an “anatomically and functionally significant congenital heart defect,” a family spokesperson said in a statement released Friday.
The condition "can and will be treated," the statement said. After evaluations at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and additional follow-up at the Mayo Clinic and Atlantic Health/Morristown Medical Center, the son of Lakers superstar LeBron James is expected to make a full recovery and return to basketball “in the very near future.”
“We are very confident in Bronny’s full recovery,” the statement read in part.
Read more: Bronny James 911 call: 'We need an ambulance immediately'
James, 18, lost consciousness during a workout at the Galen Center on July 24 and was transported to Cedars-Sinai, where he was treated in the intensive care unit. He was released on July 27 and returned home.
Two days later, his father shared a video of the former Chatsworth Sierra Canyon star playing piano in front of his younger brother, Bryce, and sister, Zhuri. James and his father were at Drake’s concert at Crypto.com Arena this week, where they walked the rapper on stage.
James was part of the No. 4 recruiting class in the country, led by the nation’s No. 1 player Isaiah Collier. The Trojans have experience helping a player recover from a similar circumstance as sophomore Vince Iwuchukwu also suffered a cardiac arrest during a workout last year. The 7-foot forward returned to the court six months later.
USC recently returned from a foreign preseason tour in Croatia and Greece, where the Trojans went undefeated in games against professional teams from Serbia and Montenegro. The Trojans will open the season Nov. 23 against Seton Hall in the Rady Children's Invitational at UC San Diego.
Read more: Bronny James eats out and plays the piano. Good signs after cardiac arrest
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
