Shocker - Bronny James Suffers Cardiac Arrest

Even in these days, you sometimes hear things that are so shocking it’s nearly unbelievable. So it is with Bronny James, who suffered cardiac arrest Monday.

LeBron’s oldest son, who is supposed to play for Southern Cal this season, is just 18. It’s impossible for people outside his immediate circle to know exactly what happened but heart problems do pop up with high-level athletes. In 1976, Maryland lost sophomore Chris Patton, just two months after recent graduate Owen Brown died of a similar issue.

Former Boston Celtic Reggie Lewis died during practice with what was later diagnosed as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Hank Gathers had an irregular heartbeat and was on medication but didn’t like taking it and he passed out during a game and died.

More recently, Keyontae Johnson, then at Florida, suffered from heart inflammation. Florida didn’t allow him to play again - understandable on both the human and legal level - so he finished at Kansas State and was recently drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder.

He did have a major career disruption and obviously he’s been medically cleared.

The point is that he’s the lucky one. Heart issues are no joke and especially not for athletes who push their bodies to extremes.

Bronny is fortunate that he lived through a major heart issue and he’s also fortunate that his family can pay for the absolute best medical care.

We hope he can make a full recovery and get back to the sport he loves but obviously there are no guarantees. However, he already has the most important thing - a family that loves him and will care for him. And if playing basketball is no longer possible, he seems like a bright young man who can find another path.

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