Bronny James to return to court in ‘near future’ after cardiac arrest

FILE PHOTO: May 6, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Bronny James in attendance as the Los Angeles Lakers play against the Golden State Warriors during the second half in game three of the 2023 NBA playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports/File Photo

Bronny James, the teenage son of NBA great LeBron James, is expected to return to basketball “in the very near future” after he suffered a cardiac arrest last month, ESPN reported on Friday, citing a statement from a family spokesperson.

The 18-year-old went into cardiac arrest on July 24 while training with the University of Southern California (USC) basketball team. He was hospitalized and placed in intensive care, and discharged three days later.

Follow-up evaluations have revealed that the probable cause of Bronny’s cardiac arrest was a congenital heart defect, according to the statement, ESPN reported.

“It is an anatomically and functionally significant congenital heart defeat which can and will be treated,” the spokesperson said in the statement. “We are very confident in Bronny’s full recovery and return to basketball in the very near future.”

Bronny James was the second USC player to go into cardiac arrest in the last year. Vince Iwuchukwu collapsed during practice last July after suffering heart failure, and returned to the court six months later.