What is Bronny James' heart condition? Exploring the USC guard's health issue and future prospects

On July 24, 2023, LeBron James' son Bronny James suffered a cardiac arrest during a practice session with the USC Trojans. Since then, the freshman guard has returned to the court and appeared in 20 games thus far for the team.

Bronny James' cardiac arrest was the result of a congenital heart defect. There are 25 total congenital heart defects listed by the Mayo Clinic.

At the time of the event, a family spokesperson said the "anatomically and functionally significant Congenital Heart Defect" was treatable.

A congenital heart defect is the most common type of birth defect, with an estimated two million people in the US living with the condition, according to the CDC.

James underwent a procedure to treat the problem, and just over four months later, was cleared to resume basketball activities.

According to Jeff Eisenberg of Yahoo Sports, James consulted with sports cardiologists Michael Ackerman and Matthew Martinez.

According to Ackerman, who works with athletes to help them return to their sport safely after incidents like Bronny's, heart conditions are not career-ending anymore like they used to be decades ago. The cardiologist told Yahoo Sports that only 15% of athletes decide not to make a return.

Bronny James' NBA draft prospects

The most recent NBA mock drafts from ESPN and Bleacher Report did not feature Bronny James' name for 2024. Instead, they put the young 6-foot-4, 210-lb guard on the 2025 list, projecting he'll drop to the second round at least.

James' freshman stats have been underwhelming. He's averaging just 5.3 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists on 37.7% FG shooting, while playing almost 20 minutes per game.

However, he still has the backing of his father, who slammed Bronny's draft outlook.

“The work and results will ultimately do the talking no matter what he decides to do,” LeBron wrote on X. “If y’all don’t know he doesn’t care what a mock draft says, he just WORKS! Earned Not Given!

“And to all the other kids out there striving to be great just keep your head down, blinders on and keep grinding. These Mock Drafts doesn’t matter one bit! I promise you! Only the WORK MATTERS! Let’s talk REAL BASKETBALL PEOPLE!”

LeBron has made it clear that he would like to play with Bronny in the NBA. The Lakers are reportedly looking at the possibility of signing Bronny next season, which would help them keep LeBron in LA.