Former USU star Danny Berger once suffered a Bronny James-like condition and still survived sudden cardiac arrest

Eleven years ago, Danny Berger, then a USU prospect, collapsed and had a cardiac arrest during practice. Early on Tuesday, news broke of Bronny James' collapse and cardiac arrest, and those who remember immediately recalled Berger's case.

Berger collapsed during a routine practice and had a cardiac arrest on Dec. 4, 2012. Luckily, there was an automated external defibrillator and staff member, Mike Williams, who knew how to conduct CPR.

Danny Berger was rushed to Logan Hospital while barely holding onto dear life and was later airlifted to Intermountain Healthcare’s hospital in Murray for advanced care.

Berger survived the episode and had a cardiac defibrillator installed in him for good measure. USU was due to play BYU (Brigham Young University) the day after the episode, and Berger recalls the trauma that struck the team:

“They canceled that game just because it’s just traumatic for the team and everyone who went through that.”

Earlier this year, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin tackled wide receiver Tee Higgins of the Cincinnati Bengals, stood up, and collapsed to the ground. Another victim of a scary cardiac arrest, except his episode was televised for the world to see.

---

Is Bronny James' cardiac arrest the same case as Danny Berger's?

2023 McDonald's All American Game

The similarities between Bronny James' case and Danny Berger's retain the same characteristics. Apart from both occurring during practice, the official cause for both collapses was given as cardiac arrest.

Berger stated that low potassium and electrolyte levels exacerbated his case. The doctors could not find a structural weakness in his heart that might have caused the condition.

It is still too early to tell if Bronny James' cardiac arrest was caused by anything similar to Berger's.

Every time an athlete experiences the same thing that Danny Berger had to go through, they relive the episode again. Berger spoke candidly about what helped him pull through:

“It’s been 10 years since my save happened, but I just think about all the people who were praying for me and hoping for me to get better. That’s really what I’ve been thinking about this morning, is how much that did help. Some people might think that it’s meaningless to pray or think about someone going through that, but it helps when collectively people do that.”

Luckily for Danny Berger, he could play basketball again and had a successful career in Germany. Basketball fans will hope that Bronny James, a five-star rated recruit and a projected 2024 draft lottery pick, gets the same luck.