LeBron James’s son Bronny says his ‘days aren’t normal’ after cardiac arrest

NBA star suffered a cardiac arrest in July 2023 at just 18 years old

LeBron James’s son Bronny has officially spoken out about how his life has changed since his cardiac arrest.

In a recent interview with Men’s Health, the athlete spoke candidly about his health scare, one year after he collapsed on the basketball court at the University of Southern California and suffered cardiac arrest. In August 2023, a spokesperson for the then-18-year-old’s family revealed that he was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect that can be treated.

Since then, he’s reflected on his feelings after going into cardiac arrest and his concerns about playing basketball again.

“At the point when it happened, there were a whole bunch of categories that what had happened could fall under, so yeah. There were a whole lot of emotions,” he told Men’s Health.

Bronny, 20, went on to detail his recovery journey, noting how hard he had to work on his daily “routines to get back to where [he] was” before the cardiac arrest. “I had to do breathing exercises and stuff. It was a total reset. I have to stay on top of my heart medications,” he explained.

He also revealed that he uses a “heart pillow” as part of his rehabilitation, adding: “When I coughed, it used to hurt a little bit, but you get this pillow, and when you cough you just hold it so it doesn’t hurt.”

LeBron James and Bronny James made history this year as the first father-son duo to play on the same NBA team (Getty Images)

The basketball player then acknowledged that his life has ultimately changed since suffering cardiac arrest, and he’s still getting back into shape.

“My days aren’t normal anymore,” he explained. “I still feel like I’m getting back to where I was.”

LeBron and his wife, Savannah James, recently spoke out about their son’s health scare for the first time. During the first episode of Netflix’s Staring 5 docuseries, which aired on October 9, Savannah tearfully shared how her family cared for each other after Bronny’s cardiac arrest.

“I think at the end of the day, it was just about us supporting each other and just being super grateful for the outcome,” she said.

The episode also saw LeBron and his mother Gloria visit USC to meet Erin, a member of the school’s medical staff who helped Bronny when he collapsed. After the Lakers star gave a “shout out to the man above,” he expressed his gratitude for USC’s staff.

“To the whole coaching staff, training staff, members of that program, thank you so much. They are the reason Bronny is alive now and smiling and thriving and doing what any 19-year-old should be doing, and that’s living out their dream,” he said.

In June, Bronny was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers, the same team his father has played for since 2018. He was taken with the No. 55 overall pick, deep in the second round and with only three picks remaining in this year’s draft.

As he’s set to make his debut as an NBA star this fall, he expressed how meaningful it is for him to play alongside his new teammates.

“The game hasn’t slowed down for me on this level yet,” he told Men’s Health. “But I want to learn everything I can, even if it takes time. So I’m going into every practice with open ears and an open mind.”