Bronny James Cardiac Arrest Sparks COVID Vaccine Theory

LeBron "Bronny" James Jr., the son of NBA superstar LeBron James, suffered a cardiac arrest on Monday while practicing at the University of Southern California (USC) sparking some on social media to speculate that it was caused by the COVID-19 vaccine.

On Tuesday morning, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that Bronny James "collapsed on the court Monday and had a cardiac arrest."

Charania also shared a statement from a spokesperson for the James family which said, "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.

"LeBron and Savannah wish to publicly send their deepest thanks and appreciation to the USC medical and athletic staff for their incredible work and dedication to the safety of their athletes."

Newsweek reached out to the University of Southern California via email for comment.

The report on Tuesday sparked a wave of social media users to speculate that the COVID-19 vaccine was the cause of the cardiac arrest. Shortly after the COVID-19 vaccine was first rolled out in the U.S. some cases of myocarditis, inflammation of the heart muscle, were reported among certain recipients.

"Cases of myocarditis and pericarditis have occurred most frequently in adolescent and young adult males within 7 days after receiving the second dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine; however, cases have also been observed after dose 1 and booster doses," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

However, the CDC also says that the "known risks of COVID-19 illness and its related, possibly severe complications, such as long-term health problems, hospitalization, and even death, far outweigh the potential risks of having a rare adverse reaction to vaccination, including the possible risk of myocarditis or pericarditis."

There is currently no evidence to confirm that the COVID-19 vaccine caused James's cardiac arrest.

"Bronny James is the newest victim of the vaccine," Coach Buck Nekkíd, a radio personality for Fox Sports 1, wrote on Twitter.

Twitter user @kayceeflowz wrote, "Bronny having a cardiac arrest at what age. Something is not up We all know it's the vaccines."

Twitter user Ethan Burnett shared a story from BleacherReport and said, "Absolutely insane. Glad he's okay!! but when are people actually gonna start admitting that these events didn't happen before the vaccines. He's not the first. These are super athletes collapsing while doing what they've grown up doing all their lives."

Similarly, Twitter user Chris Majchrzak wrote, "Is Bronny James vaccinated? This is a reoccurring event, all across the United States and around the world, and it's not normal. The evidence is mounting: C19 Vaccines are NOT safe."

Twitter CEO Elon Musk said, "We cannot ascribe everything to the vaccine, but, by the same token, we cannot ascribe nothing. Myocarditis is a known side-effect. The only question is whether it is rare or common."

Buffalo Bills' star Damar Hamlin, who also suffered cardiac arrest during a game last season, took a different approach and wrote: "Prayers to Bronny & The James family as well here for you guys just like you have been for me my entire process."

Lebron James previously confirmed that he and his family had received the COVID-19 vaccine.

In September 2021, James spoke at the Los Angeles Lakers media day and said that despite past skepticism about the vaccine "after doing my research and things of that nature, I felt like it was best suited for not only me but my family and my friends. That's why I decided to do it."

Update 07/25/23, 1:19 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.