Bronny James gave his fans a rare glimpse into his personal life on Wednesday.
In an effort to shed light on CPR & Automated External Defibrillator Awareness Month, LeBron James’ son recorded a video where he spoke all about the 2023 cardiac arrest he suffered while he was practicing with the USC men’s basketball team.
And in the footage, he shared for the first time on his social media page an image that showed off his heart surgery scar.
Bronny, who now plays guard for the Lakers alongside his dad, explained in the clip that he had been “in the best shape of my life” at the time of his medical emergency.
“Out of nowhere, I sat down for a little bit, got back up, walked around and kind of felt a little dizzy. A little nauseous,” he said.
“And then I ended up passing out. Woke up on the practice floor, like, ‘What happened?’”
Bronny said a coaching assistant saved his life by grabbing an AED and performing CPR.
“I’m alive today because medical staff and my coaches were prepared for the worst,” he said. “And it ended up saving my life. So, I’m really appreciative of that.”
Following the incident, Bronny was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect, and he underwent surgery to correct the issue a short time later.
The procedure was successful and Bronny hasn’t sustained a scare since. However, it all left him with a six-inch scar in the center of his chest, which could be seen prominently in the photo he shared in his Wednesday Instagram video.
Bronny, who released the vid in a partnership with the American Heart Association, finished his message by imploring his fans and followers to get familiar with CPR in the hopes that it will save more lives like his going forward.
“Learn it,” he wrote in a caption on the video. “Practice it. Be ready.”
