NBA Draft prospect Isaiah Collier says Trojans ‘gelled as one’ after Bronny James’ health scare
One of the biggest, and scariest, stories of the summer was when Bronny James, the son of LeBron, suffered a cardiac arrest during a workout.
He was with several of his USC teammates at Galen Center on July 24 when the incident occurred. He was discharged two days later, and LeBron said his son underwent surgery.
Bronny’s hospitalization came about six-and-a-half months after Damar Hamlin’s on-field collapse – that was a case of commotio cortis after he tackled Tee Higgins.
According to the American Heart Association, commotio cordis is caused by “an extremely rare consequence of blunt force trauma to the heart that happens at exactly the wrong time in the heart rhythm, causing the heart to stop beating effectively.”
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USC Trojans, from left, Brandon Gardner, Isaiah Collier and Bronny James before the UCLA Bruins game on Jan. 27, 2024, at Galen Center in Los Angeles. (Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
But for James, it was different, as he was simply just running some drills before a 911 call was made.
As scary as the incident was, though, James’ teammate, potential NBA Draft lottery pick Isaiah Collier, said the Trojans couldn’t dwell on the situation.
Instead of being scared, they knew they had to move on and come together – and that’s exactly what they did.
USC Trojans guard Bronny James warms up, as his parents LeBron James and Savannah James watch, for the Washington State Cougars game on Jan. 10, 2024, at Galen Center in Los Angeles. (Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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“I can’t really speak on everybody else, but I feel like we all gelled as one. Came back, we just stuck together, to be honest,” Collier said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital.
Doctors revealed that the cardiac arrest was likely caused by a “congenital heart defect.” He was cleared for basketball activity in late November and made his college debut on Dec. 10.
James committed to USC in May. He chose the Trojans over Ohio State and Oregon. He was the 33rd ranked player in his class, and he was named a McDonald’s All-American last year.
Isaiah Collier of the USC Trojans shoots a foul shot against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Maples Pavilion on Feb. 10, 2024, in Palo Alto, California. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
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Like Collier, James is eligible for the 2024 NBA Draft, and now, speculation has begun on whether teams would draft Bronny if it meant acquiring his father, as well. The 19-year-old is averaging 5.5 points per contest, starting six of the 19 games he has played in.
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