Athletes who went through cardiac arrest can have successful careers

Bronny James, an incoming USC basketball player and son of NBA superstar LeBron James, suffered cardiac arrest during practice on Monday.

After being rushed to the hospital, the younger James is out of the ICU and in stable condition, his family announced in a statement.

Despite being in top physical condition, athletes can still succumb to medical conditions and scares such as cardiac arrest – but there are many instances where players return to successful careers after the incident.

What is cardiac arrest?

Cardiac arrest is the sudden loss of all heart activity due to an irregular heart rhythm, according to the Mayo Clinic. When suffering cardiac arrest, a person will stop breathing and go unconscious. Without immediate treatment, sudden cardiac arrest can be fatal.

Christian Eriksen at Euro 2020

During the Euro 2020, Danish soccer player Christian Eriksen collapsed during the 43rd minute of a match against Finland. He suffered cardiac arrest after a few minutes on the field, where he fell face first and his teammates quickly called for medics.

Denmark’s team doctor Morten Boesen recalls just how frightening the event was as it was unfolding.

“He was breathing, and I could feel his pulse. But suddenly that changed,” Boesen said. “And as everyone saw, we started giving him CPR.”

Eriksen was admitted to the hospital, where he was in stable condition that same night.

The midfielder made his return to soccer in February of 2022, and since then he’s played for Denmark in a World Cup.

Chris Pronger in game 1998

Star defenseman Chris Pronger was competing with the St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference Semifinals in 1998 when he was struck in the left part of his chest by a slap shot from defenseman Dmitri Mironov.

Pronger got up after the hit, before taking a few steps and collapsing down to the ice. The defenseman was left without a pulse on his neck or his wrist, and his lips turned blue.

He awoke prior to his trip to the hospital, and not only was he OK following the scary moment, but he was also good enough to play just two days later.

The Hall of Famer appeared in 949 games in 13 seasons following the incident.

Vincent Iwuchukwu during scrimmage

During an informal team scrimmage in July of 2022, highly touted USC freshman Vincent Iwuchukwu suffered cardiac arrest and collapsed. He was transported to the hospital where he received extensive care and stayed for multiple days.

While going through cardiac arrest, the center described it as “a deep slumber.”

“I felt like in a deep slumber. I felt like in a void. Things in that void I can’t really describe, but it was definitely something,” Iwuchukwu said. “When I was starting to get back consciousness, I was starting to hear [USC assistant coach Eric Mobley’s] voice. … He was saying, ‘Vince, come on. Come back, come back.’ And then I heard, ‘Vince, don’t die on me.’ “

Iwuchukwu was able to make a full recovery and played in 14 games after he made his return on Jan. 12, 2023, for a game against Colorado.

Keyontae Johnson’s scary collapse

In a matchup against Florida State, former Florida star Keyontae Johnson suddenly collapsed on the court coming out of a timeout and was rushed to the hospital in December 2020. Johnson had dunked prior to the break in the action, but needed emergency medical attention, and was taken away on a stretcher.

However, Johnson was able to return to the court nearly two years later, this time for Kansas State where he helped the team reach its first Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament since 2018.

His story gets better, as the forward was selected in the second round of the 2023 NBA Draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder.

What happened to Bronny James?

During a summer practice session with the USC Trojans, four-star basketball recruit Bronny James underwent cardiac arrest and was rushed to the hospital after a 911 call was made at 9:26 in the morning from the Galen Center, where USC practices.

According to TMZ, Bronny was unconscious before he was taken by ambulance to the hospital.