Bronny James Opens Up About Life-Changing 'Heart Incident' And Journey To Recovery

Bronny James is sharing how the "heart incident" he experienced in July 2023 at the age of 18 has changed his life. The Los Angeles Lakers rookie, now 20, recently opened up about the experience and what's changed since during an interview with Men's Health.

Bronny, the oldest child of NBA icon LeBron Jamesand Savannah James, shared his emotional point of view of the day he suffered a cardiac arrest while practicing with his University of Southern California basketball team.

Bronny recently shared information about the day he experienced what he refers to as "the heart incident" with Men's Health. He said it felt like a normal day where he got a smoothie and went to basketball practice on USC's campus. Halfway through drills, he said he blacked out and remembers nothing else. That's when he suffered a cardiac arrest.

When asked if he was concerned that he wouldn't be able to play again, he said, "At the point when it happened, there were a whole bunch of categories that what had happened could fall under, so year. There were a whole lot of emotions."

"My days aren't normal anymore," he said. "I still feel like I'm getting back, I'm getting back to where I was."

It wasn't long after Bronny's cardiac arrest that he was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect, an abnormality in the heart structure that's treatable.

"I got real on top of my routines to get back to where I was," he said. "I had to do breathing exercises and stuff. It was a total reset."

Bronny and LeBron, 39, made NBA history in June.

"With the 55th pick in the 20254 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers select...Bronny James!"

Bronny and LeBron became the first ever father-son duo to play in the league simultaneously. While there have been many instances of sons joining the league after their fathers played, this is the first time in league history that a father and son are playing in the league at the same time and on the same court.

Of course, LeBron is a proud dad, and he took to Instagram shortly after the draft to share his thoughts and feelings on the momentous event.

"Not a feeling in the fkn world better than being around raising my boys to MEN! Pops over here getting emotional as hell just thinking about y'all journey so far!” LeBron captioned a photo of him with his boys shooting hoops.

“Thank you both for allowing me to be your DAD and be a part of your compass through life’s trials and tribulations!”

In early October, LeBron and Bronny officially became the first father and son to play in the same NBA game together during the second quarter of the Lakers preseason game against the Phoenix Suns.

After the historic moment, LeBron shared his emotional thoughts.

"For a father, it means everything," LeBron told ESPN after the game.

"For someone who didn't have that growing up, to be able to have that influence on your kids and have influence on your son, be able to have moments with your son, and ultimately to be able to work with your son, I think that's one of the greatest things that a father can ever hope for or wish for."

LeBron also told reporters after the game that Lakers coach, JJ Redick, planned to put Bronny into the game at some point.

"The moment when we came out of the timeout and he was picking up full court and I went up - because my guy was taking the ball out. We stood next to each other and I kind of looked at him, and it was just like, 'Is this 'The Matrix' or something?'" the proud father said.

"It just didn't feel real."

The emotionally charged, historic day was also another milestone for Bronny - his 20th birthday.

Bronny's mom, Savannah, shared a tribute for the newest NBA player in the family on his big day.

"Happy Birthday @bronny!!!! Literally can’t with 20. Love you beyond words and so proud of you!! Keep being YOU!!!" she captioned the carousel of two photos on Instagram. Many fans dropped into the comments to leave birthday wishes and supportive messages.

LeBron also took to Instagram to share the big moment he got to play with his son in his first NBA game.

The proud papa shared a carousel of photos from the game, with the final snap evoking an emotional moment for many fans - a photo that shows a then and now courtside moment from Bronny's childhood at his dad's game.

"Last frame got us like," Nike Basketball wrote in the comments. Many others felt that same nostalgia and shared a similar comment.

"No caption needed. Enough to make a grown man cry," one fan wrote. Another shared, "One of the greatest moments in NBA history."