By now, you have probably heard that Bronny James, son of NBA great
@KingJames, suffered a heart attack during basketball practice at Southern California, where he is an incoming freshman.
The family has released a statement.
"Yesterday while practicing Bronny James suffered a cardiac arrest. Medical staff was able to treat Bronny and take him to the hospital. He is now in stable condition and no longer in ICU. We ask for respect and privacy for the James family and we will update media when there is more information."
Unfortunately, during my career, I've seen this come up often, where an athlete suffers a sudden heart attack or similar issue.
But it hasn't always been the worst case scenario.
Just this past February, Rocky River High basketball player Henry Price collapsed on the court and medical personnel used an automated external defibrillator on him, a device used to revive victims in cases of cardiac arrest.
Rocky River officials tell me Price, who graduated in June, is doing fine now.
I remember when former Charlotte Christian star @Omarcarter21 was 16 years old and diagnosed with an enlarged heart. He finished playing in high school, with
@StephenCurry30, and then played at Appalachian State and professionally overseas.
(
@E60 featured Carter and Curry here:
youtube.com/watch?v=7zMIpyRw…)
In July 2013, Carter suffered a sudden cardiac episode during a warmup for a summer league game and fell to the floor unconscious. He survived, too.
Carter now works locally and has started
omarcarterfoundation.org to raise awareness.
Two years ago, a player at Rock Hill's Westminster Catawba School, Nick Hamrick, passed out during a game in Winston-Salem.
His heart, literally, gave out. Doctors implanted a defibrillator just above his rib cage on the left side.
Hamrick is playing again. He averaged 9.3 points and 4.8 rebounds last season. He'll be a senior this season.
And one last thing.
Each year,
@CharMeckSchools and
@CMSAthletic1 partner with
@AtriumHealth to put on "Heart of A Champion" day to do free physicals that include heart screenings for area athletes. This year's event was in June and was open to additional school districts as well.
I would advise everyone to sign up, and let's keep the James family in our thoughts and all families going through similar circumstances in our world.