Bronny James, son of LeBron James, suffers cardiac arrest at practice

Bronny James, the eldest son of basketball star LeBron James, suffered a cardiac arrest on Monday morning while training with his team at the University of Southern California (USC), one of the most prestigious private universities in the country. The 18-year-old had to be rushed to the hospital after he fainted during practice and was admitted to the intensive care unit. He is since out of the ICU and is in stable condition, though he remains under observation. A spokesperson for the family sent a statement to reassure fans: “Yesterday while practicing, Bronny James suffered a cardiac arrest... Medical staff was able to treat Bronny and take him to the hospital. He is now in stable condition and no longer in ICU.”

“We ask for respect and privacy for the James family and we will update media when there is more information,” the press release continues. “LeBron and [and his wife] Savannah wish to publicly send their deepest thanks and appreciation to the USC medical and athletic staff for their incredible work and dedication to the safety of their athletes.” According to TMZ, which first broke the story, emergency services received a call shortly before 9:30 a.m. Monday morning from the USC campus. An ambulance rushed to the scene and took Bronny to the hospital.

Bronny, who will turn 19 next October, is the eldest son of LeBron, 38, and his wife Savannah, 36. He was born in 2004 when the player was a rookie in the league. From a very young age, Bronny followed in his father’s footsteps and showed his interest in basketball, until last May when the NBA announced that the young man would play this season in the NCAA, the college league prior to the professional one. There he would play with the USC Trojans, a breeding ground for sports professionals.

After passing through Sierra Canyon High School, where he played point guard for the Trailblazers and from which he graduated in May, Bronny James attracted the attention of teams from Ohio, Oregon and Kentucky, who wanted to acquire the young man, who is over 190 centimeters tall, for their college leagues. He finally opted for the USC Trojans, eternal rival of the also prestigious UCLA. Both are based in Los Angeles, where the James family has resided since 2018. LeBron, the great star of the Los Angeles Lakers, is the leading scorer in NBA history.

In the United States, basketball is a religion and its most prominent members are treated as if they were royalty. They are loved, admired, photographed at every turn, portrayed in street murals, vilified if they make mistakes, and applauded for their achievements. In short, they’re pop culture stars. By extension, their families are also often in the media spotlight, and the player’s children are watched at every turn. Some —the best — follow in the footsteps of their fathers, with greater or lesser fortune, or at least they try to. That is the case with LeBron James, NBA star and sports legend. Of his three children with his wife Savannah James — Bronny, Bryce and Zhuri Nova — the eldest is trying to make a name for himself in basketball. However, we will have to wait to see how this health setback affects him to know the future of his sports career.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAÍS USA Edition