NBA legend LeBron James delivered a powerful and emotional address at the 2026 TIME100 Sports Gala in New York City, urging attendees to prioritize cardiac health awareness, particularly for young athletes. The event, which celebrated influential figures in sports, saw James honored by TIME magazine as its Athlete of the Century. His speech took a deeply personal turn as he recounted the frightening cardiac incident his son, Bronny, experienced during his freshman year at USC.

LeBron James Advocates for Cardiac Health Awareness

Standing among a constellation of sports royalty, LeBron James shared a poignant message about the critical importance of cardiac health. He drew a parallel to the recent widely publicized cardiac arrest suffered by Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, noting that his own family had faced a similar crisis with his eldest son, Bronny. James emphasized that without the swift and expert intervention of the USC coaching and medical staff, the outcome could have been tragically different.

“Our son went through something like that a few years ago at USC,” James recalled, his voice resonating with the gravity of the experience. “And obviously if it wasn’t for the coaching staff and the medical team and everybody at USC being there in a timely fashion, we possibly be sitting here without our son, our oldest son.”

His plea extended beyond personal reflection, urging universal vigilance. “So thank you to everybody and all the efforts when it comes to cardiac arrest. Guys, take that serious,” he implored. “If you got kids in elementary, you got kids in middle school, kids in high school, colleges, make sure they have these devices available where you can get ‘em, practice ‘em. It’s very important, super, super important. Obviously, we know