Before LeBron "Bronny" James Jr., son of NBA superstar LeBron James, suffered a cardiac arrest Monday while practicing at the University of Southern California (USC), he posted on Instagram about how much he was loving life at the moment.
James, 19, the eldest child of LeBron and wife Savannah, has been attracting interest from NBA coaches, showing the kind of skills and determination on the court that his dad has. His father is now the record points scorer in the NBA.
On June 20, the younger James posted on social media a series of photos showing his life at various locations, including his recent vacations.
He captioned the post: "Living life bro i'm happy, nun more nun less."
On Tuesday morning, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that James "collapsed on the court Monday and had a cardiac arrest."
Charania also shared a statement from a spokesperson for the James family. It said, "Medical staff was able to treat Bronny and take him to the hospital. He is now in stable condition and no longer in ICU. We ask for respect and privacy for the James family and we will update media when there is more information."
The statement went on: "LeBron and Savannah wish to publicly send their deepest thanks and appreciation to the USC medical and athletic staff for their incredible work and dedication to the safety of their athletes."
Newsweek reached out to USC via email for comment.
Since the news broke about James' condition, some social media users have speculated that a COVID-19 vaccination may have caused his cardiac arrest.
Shortly after the COVID-19 vaccines were first rolled out in the U.S. some cases of myocarditis, which is an inflammation of the heart muscle, were reported among certain recipients.
"Cases of myocarditis and pericarditis have occurred most frequently in adolescent and young adult males within 7 days after receiving the second dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine," according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "However, cases have also been observed after dose 1 and booster doses."
The CDC also says that the "known risks of COVID-19 illness and its related, possibly severe complications, such as long-term health problems, hospitalization, and even death, far outweigh the potential risks of having a rare adverse reaction to vaccination, including the possible risk of myocarditis or pericarditis."
There is no evidence that a COVID-19 vaccine caused James' cardiac arrest.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
