MACON, Ga. — Bronny James, Lebron James’ son, suffered from cardiac arrest on Monday during basketball practice at the University of Southern California.
The 18-year-old is recovering after medical staff treated him at practice and took him to the hospital. His family said he’s in stable condition.
But his experience highlights that this could happen to any student-athlete, on any field and anywhere.
Kory West is an offensive lineman for Rutland High School's football team in Macon. He said hearing about Bronny James shocked him but also made him want to pay attention to his body more.
“I was kind of assuming since his dad had treatment from the Lakers and stuff like that and that him at a D1 college program he had that treatment, but I guess we're not all so lucky,” he said.
Anthony Williams, head Rutland football coach, said going into cardiac arrest can happen at any time.
It happened to one of his players at a high school he used to coach at.
“When I first heard about it, it kind of took me back to my first years at Southeast High School,” he said. “I actually had a kid that passed away there due to cardiac arrest."
Similar incidents have happened in Macon-Bibb County.
In 2021, a Southwest High School football player died after collapsing at practice. 15-year-old Joshua Ivory Jr. had an abnormal heart rhythm which led to sudden cardiac arrest.
In April of this year, a 21-year-old Mercer University student-athlete died during a pick-up soccer game. Abdul Rasheed Babatunde Agbaje, or Baba, also went into cardiac arrest.
Williams said the death of a player made him pay more attention to the conditions of his players.
“Being a head coach, you're in charge of all these guys who may not be your child biologically, but you view them as your child,” he said.
Dr. Christy Peterson, a pediatrician with Atrium Health Navicent, said an athlete's family history plays a big role in their health.
“Some of the most important things on that physical are the history questions from their family,” she said.
But the goal, she said, is to catch any underlying conditions before an athlete steps on the field.
Rutland athletic trainer Diandrea Malone urged athletes to not be afraid of playing sports because it’s something you don’t plan for.
“So, I don't want anybody to go into playing a game or into practice scared that it will happen, but just know and have trust in the staff that they're prepared to handle a situation if that does occur,” she said.