Bronny James: Which College Basketball Players Experienced Similar Cardiac Problems?

2 min read • July 26, 2023

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Bronny James: Which College Basketball Players Experienced Similar Cardiac Problems?

Over the past five years, a significant number of male college basketball players have faced cardiac issues. The most recent case is Bronny James, the son of NBA legend LeBron James, who suffered cardiac arrest Monday morning during a USC practice.

Today, we will discuss three former college basketball players who encountered heart problems:

Vincent Iwuchukwu, July 2022

Last July, USC forward Vincent Iwuchukwu suffered cardiac arrest during summer practice, experiencing dizziness before collapsing onto the court. USC staff promptly utilized the automated external defibrillator (AED) and performed CPR. 

Following his transfer to the hospital, Iwuchukwu received an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) to regulate his heart rate. He returned to play on Jan. 12, 2023. Standing at 7-foot-1 and weighing 235 pounds, his heart episodes are slightly more common in tall athletes, but the specific cause remains undetermined.

Keyontae Johnson, December 2020

Keyontae Johnson, currently playing for the Thunder after being chosen as the 50th overall pick in this year's draft, experienced cardiac arrest in mid-December 2020 while competing for Florida. During a game, he collapsed face-first and was unresponsive. Johnson was immediately hospitalized and placed in a medically induced coma, according to a family member's statement to USA Today. He was eventually released from the hospital and 

He was later diagnosed with myocarditis. Johnson missed almost two years of play but made a comeback on Nov. 7, 2022. Johnson successfully completed the full season at Kansas State last year.

Shareef O'Neal, 2018

Shareef O'Neal exemplifies early detection of a heart issue. He received a diagnosis of an anomalous coronary artery, a congenital heart defect causing an artery to grow in the wrong place. 

In 2018, O'Neal underwent open heart surgery and consequently missed the entire 2018-19 season while at UCLA. He declared for the draft prior to completing college but went undrafted.