Perhaps this year’s most famous incoming freshman in college basketball just got a little more famous, although not for the reasons you’d hope. Bronny James, the son of NBA superstar LeBron James who is supposed to play for USC this year, suffered a cardiac arrest Monday at the Trojans’ basketball facility during an informal practice. We don’t know much more than that, other than by all public reports, he seems to be well and recovering. While all appears positive – he is out of the ICU and stable – we haven’t heard much more, at least not publicly. It does seem that the quick work done by the staff at USC was instrumental, as we’ve all learned recently through the Buffalo Bills that speed is pretty much the name of the game when it comes to cardiac arrest.
Obviously, this story resonated so loudly because of who it was – one of the most visible young prospects and offspring of perhaps the greatest basketball player ever. And someone with more Instagram followers than most people not named Taylor Swift with an NIL value of over $7 million before he even stepped on campus. He’s probably a top 20 recruit this year, but that’s really the least of it – in fact, he’s not even the best incoming recruit to USC. But, because it’s Bronny James and not say, Trentyn Flowers who’s going to Louisville, this got a lot more attention than you might ordinarily expect. The reality is, cardiac arrests among elite athletes are rare, but not totally uncommon. It’s the leading cause of death in young athletes – still only estimated at 1 in 50 to 80,000. It’s not even the first cardiac arrest at USC basketball in the last year, as last summer a different freshman also had one. We’ve heard of some of the most public cases – starting with Damar Hamlin on national television – but most happen outside the spotlight of pro or elite college sports. Which doesn’t change the seriousness of James’ condition – it perhaps just adds some context.
And context is what James and his family and his considerable fan base will be searching for right now. If you look hard enough, you will find compelling support that either Bronny will be fully recovered and ready to play very soon or he’ll never play basketball again. Much of that seems related to both your accepted level of risk and any insight into why this happened in the first place. Or better put, what are the odds of it happening again. From there, you can make a decision that’s at least grounded in data, as much as that matters in the fairly binomial landscape of cardiac arrest. But what really becomes paramount in decisions like these, is how important is it. In other words, how important is it to continue to play basketball, having faced what can only be described as a near death experience.
That’s a question that goes far beyond the act of simply playing basketball but one about money, identity, and the meaning of one’s life. There’s a fantastic scene at the end of the movie The Wrestler – spoiler alert here – where Mickey Rourke’s character Randy Robinson performs a move that will likely kill him. His opponent said to him before he did, “you don’t have to do this,” or something to that effect. But to Robinson, the decision was far more clear – because without wrestling, he wasn’t anything.
I’m certainly not saying this is the case for Bronny James. If he never touches a basketball again, James and children’s children will be independently wealthy. He’ll undoubtedly have endless career opportunities of the court if he want them. And it seems like he’ll escape this harrowing crisis with his health. But that said, Bronny James wasn’t playing basketball to be rich – he already was. He was doing it for the same reason most people become elite athletes – for the challenge, for the rush, and for the fame, as his social following would evidence. It’s the same reason elite athletes have a hard time walking away when it’s over and too often can’t find a satisfying second act. Which is why the next several months – and maybe years – may be far more challenging for Bronny James than just dealing with his health.
Of course, doctors could say there’s virtually no risk, and James can carry on as before – he hopes to the NBA in a year. Which would make this week’s scare simply a fading asterisk in an otherwise famous life.
Keith Strudler is the director of the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University. You can follow him on Twitter at @KeithStrudler
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