Bronny James, who on Monday suffered a cardiac arrest and was hospitalized, had a cardiac screening several months ago as part of a program for prospective NBA players, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The screening included a transthoracic echocardiogram – which looks at blood flow through the heart and heart valves – and an EKG, which is a recording of the heart’s electrical activity, the source said. Both screenings came back with normal results.
The normal results of those tests are a good sign and likely mean the episode wasn’t caused by an anatomical preexisting problem.
But the 18-year-old will still likely have his heart rhythm monitored for a longer period in the hospital – since an EKG only captures a snapshot in time – so medical professionals can determine whether there are any unusual spikes of electrical activity.
If those readings are normal as well, doctors may also look at other possibilities of what could have caused this, including significant dehydration or intense practicing.
Bronny is NBA superstar LeBron James’ older son.
The 6-foot-3 combo guard, who is an incoming freshman for the University of Southern California’s basketball team, was rated a four-star recruit and shined in the McDonald’s All-American Game in March featuring some of the country’s top high school basketball players.
He suffered the cardiac arrest during basketball practice at USC, a family spokesperson said in a statement Tuesday.
“Medical staff was able to treat Bronny and take him to the hospital. He is now in stable condition and no longer in ICU,” the family statement said.
“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.”
