BRONNY James has been discharged from the hospital and is at home resting just four days after suffering a near-fatal cardiac arrest.
The brave 18-year-old is lucky to be alive after collapsing during basketball practice at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles on Monday.
Bronny was released from Cedars-Sinai Hospital on Thursday afternoon following a successful treatment, Dr. Merije Chukumerije said in a statement obtained by The Athletics' Shams Charania.
"Mr. James was cared for promptly by highly-trained staff and has been discharged home, where he is resting.
"Although his workup will be ongoing, we are hopeful for his continued progress and are encouraged by his response, resilience, and his family and community support."
R&B star Anita Pointer of The Pointer Sisters dies aged 74
The son of NBA legend LeBron James experienced a frightening health scare on Monday after going into cardiac arrest and being rushed into intensive care.
Dr. Chukumerije revealed the USC star was fully conscious, neurologically intact, and stable when he arrived on Monday.
James, his wife, Savannah, and several other family members have been in and out of the hospital during Bronny's four-day stay.
The 38-year-old Los Angeles Lakers forward broke his silence on Thursday regarding his son's hospitalization and expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support.
"I want to thank the countless people sending my family love and prayers," the four-time NBA champ wrote on Twitter.
"We feel you and I’m so grateful. Everyone doing great. We have our family together, safe and healthy, and we feel your love.
"Will have more to say when we’re ready but I wanted to tell everyone how much your support has meant to all of us! #JamesGang."
PROBABLE CAUSE
Bronny's cardiac arrest was likely caused by a specific type of arrhythmia, an irregularity in the heart that can often go undetected and has become an increasing threat against young athletes in the last decade, a cardiologist told The U.S. Sun.
While little else is known about what exactly happened to Bronny, Dr. Richard Kovacs, a cardiologist with IU Health, said it's likely the 18-year-old's sudden cardiac arrest was triggered by an arrhythmia, which can be caused by various factors.
Sudden cardiac arrest is often caused by an irregular heart rhythm called ventricular fibrillation.
Ken Block’s craziest Top Gear stunts from biker race to drifting as star dies
Ventricular fibrillation occurs when a very fast heartbeat causes the lower heart chambers - or ventricles - to quiver uselessly instead of pumping blood.
Sudden cardiac arrest can also occur in people who have no known history of heart disease but a family history of coronary artery disease or other risk factors like diabetes.
Kovacs explained: "[An arrhythmia] can come from inherited cardiac disease, such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy or an inherited what we call channelopathies.
"It can come from acquired heart disease, such as inflammation of the heart muscle [...], but in the last decade, we're also seeing a shift toward cardiac arrhythmias that come without what we call structural heart disease.
"So, in other words, we can't see anything abnormal structurally with the heart [on a scan], but the arrhythmia seems to come as the first event - and that may've been the case here."
Kovacs added that sudden cardiac arrest is the number one cause of death among high school athletes in the US, accounting for around 75 percent of all students who died during exercise.
Statistics on how prevalent occurrences are among young competitors differ greatly depending on the research, however, incidents range from one in 40,000 to one in 80,000 per year.
But basketball players are at a disproportionate risk, according to Kovacs.
"The numbers vary, but we have better data for some sports, such as collegiate sports in the United States, and although Bronny was not yet an NCAA division one basketball player, he was about to be in a few months," he said.
"And we do know that collegiate level one basketball players in the U.S. are some of the ones at the highest risks, perhaps at a rate of four in every 100,000.
"That's an order of magnitude larger than it is for other sports. If you compare that to just all high school athletes in general, the risk of playing division one basketball is much, much higher."
NBA PROSPECT
Bronny announced in May that he would play college basketball for the USC Trojans after four successful years at Sierra Canyon High School, where he played his last season with his younger brother, Bryce.
The 18-year-old USC Trojan is ranked No. 34 on ESPN's Top 100 list.
He is expected to be drafted among the top 25 if he declares for the 2024 NBA Draft.
The USC Trojans are expected to open their season in Las Vegas against Kansas State on November 6.
It's unknown if Bronny will be cleared to play in time for the season opener.
