Bronny James and what to know about heart health, COVID-19 and vaccines - ESPN

On July 24, 18-year-old USC freshman guard Bronny James — the son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James — suffered cardiac arrest during a workout at USC. In January, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, then 24, suffered cardiac arrest during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals. In June 2022, then-incoming USC freshman center Vince Iwuchukwu, then 19, suffered cardiac arrest during a workout. In June 2021, Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen, then 29, suffered cardiac arrest on the pitch during a Euro 2020 match.

In all four instances, the athletes received immediate care from trained specialists and survived. Hamlin, Iwuchukwu and Eriksen have all been cleared to return to play — and, on Sunday, James made his season debut for USC in a 84-79 overtime loss against Long Beach State, scoring 4 points in 17 minutes of action off the bench.

James' return came after his family announced in August that he had a congenital heart defect that was treatable. Three months later, on Nov. 19, he went through pregame warmups for the first time and, 11 days later, doctors cleared him to return to play. On Thursday, James participated in his first full-contact practice for USC.

James' situation — along with those of Hamlin, Iwuchukwu and Eriksen — drew international headlines and raised questions in and around the sports and medical communities about heart issues among young, seemingly healthy athletes. Studies have been commissioned by leading specialists, and cardiologists around the country have tried to address concerned parents, especially in the era of conspiracy theories and misinformation.

Today, after a yearslong pandemic and several rounds of new vaccines and boosters, cardiologists regularly face questions about how