How does Bronny James' cardiac arrest impact his 2024 NBA Draft stock? Latest updates on his medical setback

2023 McDonald — Does Bronny James' cardiac arrest affect his NBA draft stock?

Bronny James' cardiac arrest on Monday morning has been the talk of the sports world as an update on his condition is awaited.

It has been reported that he's currently out of ICU and is in stable condition. Not to sound insensitive to the situation, but his 2024 NBA draft stock has to be discussed at this point, as the unfortunate incident could be a major blow to his plans of joining the league.

Let's take a look at how the incident could affect his plans to join the NBA.

Is the 2024 NBA draft still a realistic option after Bronny James' cardiac arrest?

After his cardiac arrest, there's a huge risk that the 2024 NBA draft could come too soon for Bronny James as he looks to make the jump to the NBA. At one point, he was expected to be a potential lottery pick that his father, Lebron James, posted all excited about on social media.

After Bronny joined the USC Trojans, it was never definite that he was going to be a one-and-done player and join the 2024 NBA draft class. Now with the cardiac arrest, it could potentially be months before he gets back on the basketball court. There's also the chance of Bronny calling it quits from basketball entirely, as a cardiac arrest is a scary moment to go through.

If Bronny James does make the decision to continue his basketball career, the 2025 NBA draft seems more of a realistic option than 2024. Again, that will all depend on how his body recovers.

Are there players who have suffered cardiac arrest and returned to the court?

There definitely have been athletes who have suffered similar situations and returned to their field of play.

One example is Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin. He suffered a cardiac arrest in the middle of a Monday Night Football game but has been cleared to return to the NFL when the season kicks off in September.

Sticking to basketball, there's a player on the USC Trojans last year. Center Vincent Iwuchukwu suffered a cardiac arrest before the season but returned to the court in January 2023. He appeared in 14 games last season and has been able to function normally without any restrictions.

Another example was then-Florida Gators' Kenyontae Johnson. In Dec. 2020, he collapsed in the middle of the game and went into cardiac arrest. He would not play basketball for over two years, as he transferred to the Kansas State Wildcats before making his return. Johnson was selected with the 50th pick in the 2023 NBA draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Considering the above examples, there's definitely some hope for a return to the court for Bronny James after his cardiac arrest, if he chooses to.