Elon Musk suggested that the coronavirus vaccine may have played a part in the collapse of LeBron James’ son, Bronny James, who was hospitalized Monday with a cardiac arrest.
The 18-year-old USC star freshman, and son of NBA star LeBron James, was taken to a hospital after appearing to suffer a cardiac arrest during a workout at USC on Monday.
The teen reportedly lost consciousness before being revived.
“Yesterday while practicing, Bronny James suffered a cardiac arrest,” a James family spokesperson told TMZ. “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. 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.”
James is now in stable condition at an L.A. hospital.
Bronny James #6 of Team USA looks on during the 2023 Nike Hoop Summit on April 8, 2023, at the Moda Center Arena in Portland, Oregon. (Sam Forencich/NBAE via Getty Images)
Speculation about the cause of James’ arrest brought Twitter owner Elon Musk to the topic. There is no direct evidence at this time that the incident was connected to any vaccine or other medical treatment.
Musk tweeted Tuesday, “We cannot ascribe everything to the vaccine, but, by the same token, we cannot ascribe nothing.
“Myocarditis is a known side-effect,” Musk said, adding, “The only question is whether it is rare or common.”
We cannot ascribe everything to the vaccine, but, by the same token, we cannot ascribe nothing.
Myocarditis is a known side-effect. The only question is whether it is rare or common.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 25, 2023
“Myocarditis, a rare inflammatory condition that affects the heart, has been reported in cases involving adolescents and young adult males who were administered the mRNA vaccine against COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” according to the New York Post.
“According to CDC data, there were 635 cases of myocarditis diagnosed out of the 54.8 million doses of the mRNA vaccine given to children between the ages of 5 and 17 as of May 202,” the paper added.
Musk is not entirely opposed to vaccines, but he has been known to raise questions about the efficacy and impact of the coronavirus vaccines.
Chief Executive Officer of SpaceX and Tesla and owner of Twitter, Elon Musk attends the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups at the Porte de Versailles exhibition centre on June 16, 2023, in Paris, France. (Chesnot/Getty Images)
LeBron James initially declined to answer whether he would receive the coronavirus vaccine. Instead, opting to call the matter a “family matter.” However, in September 2021, James announced that he received the vaccine after doing his “research” on the issue.
“After doing my research and things of that nature, I felt like it was best suited not only for me, but for my family and for my friends, and that’s why I decided to do it,” James told reporters. The future Hall of Famer also said he felt that the choice of whether to get vaccinated was not “political.”
“We’re talking about individuals’ bodies,” James explained. “We’re not talking about something that’s political or racism or police brutality, things of that nature. We’re talking about people’s bodies and well-being. So I don’t feel like, for me personally, that I should get involved in what other people do for their bodies and their livelihoods.”
Musk and his new Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino recently announced that the social media site is looking to rebrand itself, with the first move in that campaign being to change its logo from a Twitter bird to “X.”
Bronny James is a 4-star recruit and McDonald’s All-American.
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