Bronny James was taken to the hospital on Monday after suffering cardiac arrest during a workout, according to TMZ Sports.
The USC freshman, who is the oldest son of Lakers star LeBron James, was treated by medical staff and transported to a hospital via an ambulance after a 911 call was made from the Galen Center, per TMZ Sports. A James family spokesperson released a statement on Tuesday, saying that Bronny is now in "stable condition and no longer in ICU."
"LeBron and 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," the statement said.
This is the second straight year in which a USC player has suffered cardiac arrest. Trojans center Vincent Iwuchukwu went into cardiac arrest during a summer workout on July 1, 2022, but he managed to recover and rejoin the team last season.
MORE: Latest updates on Bronny James' health status
What happened to Vincent Iwuchukwu?
Iwuchukwu was performing well during a summer workout, but USC assistant coach Eric Mobley noticed something looked off after Iwuchukwu grabbed a rebound with less force than usual. As players took a break, Mobley called over head coach Andy Enfield to alert him that Iwuchukwu "didn't look right."
"[I] sat down, and I just got, like, super dizzy out of nowhere. ... I was about to drink my water, and I was like, 'Bro, I'm so dizzy,'" Iwuchukwu said. "And bam. That's all I remembered."
After Iwuchukwu collapsed, USC trainers Jon Yonamine, Erin Tillman and Lauren Crawford immediately responded, deploying the automated external defibrillator (AED) and administering CPR. Mobley repeatedly yelled at Iwuchukwu, who only later recognized the seriousness of the situation.
"I started hearing coach Mobley's voice, like, 'Get up, Vince! Get up, Vince! Don't die on me!'" Iwuchukwu said. "In my head, I was like, 'Don't die on me? What does he mean don't die?' So I'm like, 'I gotta get up.'"
Iwuchukwu did wake up after the shock, and he was moved into an ambulance. He was hospitalized for a few days, but there were no clear explanations for the incident. It was described as a "freak accident" similar to Damar Hamlin's episode in the 2023 NFL game between the Bills and Bengals.
He later had an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) placed in his chest to regulate his heart rate.
Early on in his recovery, Iwuchukwu wondered if he would ever be able to play basketball again, but he wasn't ready to let the game go. He did months of work with the training staff, and he was ultimately able to make his USC debut on Jan. 12 in a 68-61 win over Colorado.
"After that game, it was more feeling like part of my journey is complete," Iwuchukwu said. "It was a long seven months. It was kind of like a checkpoint when I got into the game."
After being cleared to play, Iwuchukwu was able to appear in 14 games. He scored a season-high 19 points in a 61-58 loss to Oregon State on Feb. 11.
Vincent Iwuchukwu stats for 2022-23 season
- 5.4 points per game
- 2.5 rebounds per game
- 1.0 blocks per game
- 13.9 minutes per game
- 50.9 percent shooting
- 79.3 percent free throw shooting
