Musk sparks fury claiming vax could have caused Bronny cardiac arrest

Elon Musk has sparked outrage after claiming that the Covid vaccine may have caused Bronny James’ cardiac arrest.

‘We cannot ascribe everything to the vaccine, but, by the same token, we cannot ascribe nothing,’ Musk wrote in response to a media report on Tuesday. 

‘Myocarditis is a known side-effect. The only question is whether it is rare or common,’ Musk’s tweet continued. 

The 18-year-old son of NBA superstar LeBron was rushed to hospital after he collapsed and suffered a cardiac arrest during a basketball workout Monday at the University of Southern California, his family confirmed today. 

He is now in a stable condition and has been released from intensive care.

Musk’s tweet was followed by a slew of online outrage with many criticizing the platform’s CEO for spreading conspiracy theories about the vaccines. 

One Twitter user said: ‘Ladies and gentlemen, Elon Musk, MD, would like to speculate the cause of Bronny James’ cardiac arrest.’

Another wrote: ‘My father went into cardiac arrest within hours of his second dose in 2021, developed pericarditis, suffered for months with sudden drops in blood pressure, and later died in the middle of the night from another heart attack. Never had one heart issue before that second dose.’

One Twitter commenter added: ‘You are a dad – would you want folks speculating on stuff about any of your children – no way – pray that Bronny is okay and don’t let folks promote any cause at all – tell folks to pray for Bronny and his family!!!’

Another slammed Musk on Twitter: ‘You have no proof or 1st hand knowledge given to you directly from the family so why are you out here speculating about something so deeply personal and painful about Bronny’s condition?’

A spokesman for the James family released a statement on Monday about the incident: ‘Yesterday while practicing Bronny James suffered a cardiac arrest. 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.’ 

Bronny, who recently committed to the Trojans, was rushed to hospital in an ambulance after a 911 call was made at 9.26am Monday. 

The incident is believed to have been a Code 3, which signifies the seriousness of the call as it requires ambulance lights and sirens. 

This incident is the second time that USC medical staff has responded to a basketball player with cardiac arrest during practice, the LA Times reported.

Last summer, Vince Iwuchukwu collapsed at a practice and was revived by USC athletic trainers. He returned to playing basketball six months later. 

Bronny recently took another step on the path to following his father’s footsteps by choosing to wear his iconic No 6 at USC for his freshman year. 

USC revealed the exciting news on their Twitter page, writing alongside a graphic: ‘FIRST LOOK: Bronny James will wear No. 6 for the Trojans.’

His father LeBron, of course, is synonymous with the No 6 from his glittering career with both the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat – although he has also worn No 23 before.

This year, the 38-year-old James became the leading points scorer in the all-time history of the NBA, overtaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s tally of 38,387 career points.

LeBron is believed to want to keep playing in the NBA until Bronny can join him in the league.

‘I need to be on the floor with my boy, I got to be on the floor with Bronny,’ James told ESPN in January.

‘Either in the same uniform or a matchup against him,’ he said. ‘. . . But I would love to do the whole Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr. thing. That would be ideal for sure.’

James is under contract for two more years in LA while his son could enter the NBA in the 2024 Draft after playing a season at USC.

He was last seen hugging Lionel Messi at his match in Fort Lauderdale last week. 

A member of the Sierra Canyon School’s Class of 2023, Bronny graduated form the California high school in May, where proud parents LeBron and Savannah could be seen beaming.

The graduation came just days after Bronny and his rumored girlfriend Peyton Gelfuso, 19, suffered vile racist abuse from trolls on social media.

His mom, Savannah, had shared photos of the young couple attending Bronny’s senior prom.

The 6-foot-3 guard donned a custom black Chrome Hearts suit and Dior shoes for the occasion, while Peyton dazzled in a strapless, black satin dress.

But trolls launched attacks at Bronny as some people on the internet were not happy with his decision to take someone who is ‘light skinned’ to prom, and social media was soon flooded with a slew of nasty comments about the pairing.

Peyton reportedly attended Sierra Canyon, graduating the year before Bronny, and appears to split her time between Los Angeles and Dallas as she attends Southern Methodist University (SMU), where she is a member of the Tri Delta sorority, according to her Instagram bio.

Bronny had already committed to USC in May after having several programs interested in him, including scholarship offers from Ohio State and Oregon.

The younger James announced his decision on Instagram, ending more than a year of speculation about his future. ‘Fight On,’ he wrote, referencing a Trojans slogan and adding the hashtag, ‘#committed.’

Unsurprisingly, Bronny chose a Nike school, aligning him with the apparel giant that has helped turn his father into a billionaire. And as an added benefit, he is remaining in the LA area, playing less than an hour from his high school, Sierra Canyon.

Bronny’s commitment was a major coup for a basketball program that has traditionally been overshadowed by Trojans football.

Coach Andy Enfield’s team has reached the NCAA Tournament for three consecutive seasons but has been bounced in the first round in each of the last two years.

Enfield previously got commitments from Isaiah Collier, who is considered by many to be the top recruit in the class of 2023. The 6-foot-3 guard could team in the Trojan backcourt with Bronny next season. Furthermore, four-star center Arrinten Page has also committed to USC.

The team also returns Reese Dixon-Waters, a 6-foot-5 guard who averaged 9.8 points a game last season.

However, following vile racist abuse he and his girlfriend suffered, USC reportedly began preparations for the new level of scrutiny – and the potential A-List stars – Bronny’s arrival would signal.

USC was considering creating a ‘separate entrance for celebrities and other VIPs,’ who want to watch LeBron’s son and potential future NBA star, according to ESPN’s Myron Medcalf.

The college was also planning to boost its security measures to contend with Bronny’s presence and the famous figures, including his NBA icon dad, and the increased attendance it will bring.

Bronny is not pegged to be the ‘Next LeBron,’ nor is he some watered-down version of the Los Angeles Lakers superstar.

For starters, his father skipped the NCAA level in 2003 because the NBA had yet to implement its controversial one-and-done rule, requiring prospects to be one year removed from their high school class’s graduation before being draft eligible.

Instead, Bronny is very much his own player, and one that some insiders see as a potential top-10 pick in 2024.

He’s always been a highly visible part of LeBron’s orbit alongside mother Savannah – LeBron’s high school sweetheart from Akron – as well as younger sister Zhuri and brother Bryce, another highly recruited player.

But it wasn’t until 2019, when Bronny enrolled at Sierra Canyon alongside the son of his father’s former teammate, Dwyane Wade, that he began drawing attention for his own play.

Since then, Bronny has filled out to 6-foot-3 and 180 pounds, a far cry from his 6-foot-9 father, but plenty tall enough to get scholarship offers.

Bronny recently joined the rest of the James clan, which includes LeBron’s wife, Savannah, who’s his childhood sweetheart, and their three children, Bronny, Bryce, 16, and Zhuri, 8, on stage at the ESPYs awards as LeBron accepted an award.

As LeBron claimed the latest of many personal prizes that he’s won throughout his 20-year career, he said: ‘I don’t care how many more points I score, what I can and cannot do on the floor.

‘The real question for me is can I play without cheating this game? The day I can’t give the game everything on the floor is the day I’ll be done.

‘Lucky for you guys, that is not today.’

The speech was the latest in a series of hints from the NBA legend that he is not ready to step away from the NBA just yet with the goal of potentially playing with his son on the horizon.

‘I need to be on the floor with my boy, I got to be on the floor with Bronny,’ James told ESPN in January.

‘Either in the same uniform or a matchup against him,’ he said. ‘. . . But I would love to do the whole Ken Griffey Sr. and Jr. thing. That would be ideal for sure.’

Bronny could have a one-and-done collegiate career and, if he declares for the 2024 NBA Draft, is expected to be a mid-first-round pick.