Bronny James has been diagnosed with a congenital heart defect and family say he will be playing again ‘in the very near future’
Bronny James is on the road to recovery and may not have long to go.
According to a statement from the James family, USC freshman and eldest son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has been diagnosed with a serious but treatable congenital heart defect, which has been identified as the probable cause of the cardiac arrest he suffered last month.
The exact nature of the defect has not been identified, but the family said they are confident Bronny will make a full recovery and return to basketball “in the very near future.”
The full statement:
“After a comprehensive initial examination at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center under the direction of Dr. Merije Chukumerije and follow-up examinations at the Mayo Clinic under the direction of Dr. Michael J. Ackerman and at Atlantic Health/Morristown Medical Center under the direction of Dr. Matthew W. Martinez, the probable cause of Mr James’ sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) has been identified. It is an anatomically and functionally significant congenital heart defect that can and is treated.
“We are very confident that Bronny will make a full recovery and return to basketball in the near future. We will continue to keep the media informed and respectfully reiterate the family’s request for privacy.”
James went into cardiac arrest while training at USC’s Galen Center. He was hospitalized and discharged two days later and treated at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
The 18-year-old is now there seen in Los Angeles, but questions remained about his future in basketball. Other athletes including Damar Hamlin and Keyontae Johnson went into cardiac arrest while playing and Friday’s statement from the James family suggests they believe he can join them.
USC’s men’s basketball team is scheduled to start its season on November 6 against Kansas State.
