Elon Musk floated the possibility that the COVID vaccine played a role in USC star freshman Bronny James suffering a cardiac arrest during a basketball workout in Los Angeles on Monday.
James, the highly touted 18-year-old son of Lakers star LeBron James, lost consciousness before being revived Monday, according to reports.
He was listed in stable condition at a Los Angeles-area hospital Tuesday.
Musk, the Tesla CEO who purchased Twitter for $44 billion last year and has since rebranded the company as “X,” 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 continued.
“The only question is whether it is rare or common.”
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 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 2022.
“Any health problem that happens after vaccination is considered an adverse event. An adverse event can be caused by the vaccine or can be caused by a coincidental event not related to the vaccine,” the CDC said.
LeBron James has said in the past that his family has been vaccinated against COVID.
There is no evidence linking his son’s cardiac arrest to the vaccine.
The NBA legend confirmed the scare involving the nation’s top basketball recruit, who was preparing for his first season with the Trojans.
“(Monday) while practicing Bronny James suffered a cardiac arrest,” the James family said in a statement to TMZ.
“Medical staff was able to treat Bronny and take him to the hospital.”
!["Myocarditis is a known side-effect [of the vaccine]," Musk tweeted on Monday.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/07/NYPICHPDPICT000014612201-1.jpg?w=1024)
The statement continued: “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.”
Bronny was rushed to the hospital after a 911 call was made at 9:26 a.m. from the Galen Center, where USC practices.
“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,” the statement said.
According to TMZ, Bronny was unconscious before he was taken by ambulance to the hospital.
A 911 dispatcher can also be heard saying “unconscious” in audio obtained by the outlet.
James has said he hopes to play in the NBA with Bronny, who was a four-star recruit after starring at Sierra Canyon High School in Los Angeles.
Additional reporting by Jenna Lemoncelli and Justin Terranova
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