Doctors confident in full recovery and return to basketball in the near future

Doctors treating Bronny James — a former four-star recruit and the eldest son of Lakers superstar LeBron James — believe a congenital heart defect was the cause of his sudden cardiac arrest in July, according a statement released by the James family.

“After a comprehensive initial evaluation at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center led by Dr. Merije Chukumerije and follow-up evaluations at the Mayo Clinic led by Dr. Michael J. Ackerman and Atlantic Health/Morristown Medical Center led by Dr. Matthew W. Martinez, the probable cause of Mr. James’ sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) has been identified,” the family said in a statement obtained by CBS Sports. “It is an anatomically and functionally significant Congenital Heart Defect which can and will be treated.”

According to the family, doctors aren’t just expecting a full recovery for Bronny. They believe he will be able to return to the court at some point soon.

“We are very confident in Bronny’s full recovery and return to basketball in the very near future,” the James family statement says. “We will continue to provide updates to media and respectfully reiterate the family’s request for privacy.”

Bronny was hospitalized after collapsing during a practice on the USC campus in July and transported to a Cedars-Sinai Medical Center’s Intensive Care Unit. He was moved out of the ICU and upgraded to stable condition before being discharged home, where he was resting and recovering and said to be in good spirits.

Since the incident, Bronny has been away from the team as it prepares for the 2023-24 season, including missing the team’s trip abroad earlier this month while doing follow-up evaluations at the Mayo Clinic.

James was ranked by 247Sports as the No. 27 overall player in the Class of 2023 and the second-highest ranked signee of USC’s third-ranked signing class behind No. 2 overall prospect Isaiah Collier.