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The Sports Report: LeBron James’ son, Bronny, has cardiac arrest during workout

Bronny James warms up at halftime of a high school game in January.
Bronny James warms up at halftime of a high school game in January.
(Gregory Payan / Associated Press)
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Howdy, I’m your host, Houston Mitchell. Let’s get right to the news.

Bronny James, the highly touted USC freshman and son of Lakers star LeBron James, lost consciousness during a workout at the Galen Center on Monday and was treated for cardiac arrest.

James, 18, was in stable condition Tuesday morning after a brief stint in the intensive care unit, according to a spokesperson for the James family.

It is the second time a USC freshman basketball player suffered cardiac arrest while practicing in the last year. Vince Iwuchukwu returned to the court six months after his cardiac arrest on campus. It’s unclear whether James’ recovery would follow a similar path.

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“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 James family said in a statement.

Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics were called to the Galen Center, where USC practices, at 9:26 a.m. Monday for a medical emergency, according to a department spokeswoman. Bronny James lost consciousness and was taken “Code 3, lights and sirens” to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center shortly after the ambulance arrived, according to a source who was not authorized to speak about the situation publicly.

USC declined to comment on the situation, citing student privacy concerns.

The Trojans athletic trainers have had dealt with comparable medical emergencies it the past. Iwuchukwu collapsed at a practice last summer and was revived on site by USC trainers using an automated external defibrillator.

Iwuchukwu was initially told that he would never play basketball again. But doctors reversed course on that prognosis days later. The player made a full recovery and returned to the basketball court six months later, albeit with a battery-powered pulse generator installed in his chest to constantly monitor his heart rate.

How quickly James will be able to return to the Trojans, if at all, remains to be seen. Two cardiologists who didn’t treat James but spoke generally about heart attacks told The Times on Tuesday that the fact James was moved out of the intensive care unit within 24 hours of his heart episode was “really promising.”

“Even for a young, healthy athlete, being out of the ICU already is pretty good,” said Dr. Cheng-Han Chen, interventional cardiologist and medical director of the structural heart disease program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills.

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Vince Iwuchukwu’s collapse helped prepare USC staff to treat Bronny James’ sudden cardiac arrest

When disaster struck, Bronny James got help. But LAUSD athletes often aren’t as lucky

‘Lets go Bronny … we all pullin for u’: Sports world reacts to LeBron James’ son’s cardiac arrest

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DODGERS

From Jack Harris: Chris Taylor got the RBI. Mookie Betts was credited the outfield assist.

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But in the two biggest plays of the Dodgers’ 8-7 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night, it was heads-up baseball from Will Smith that was the difference.

The Dodgers catcher first saved the game in the bottom of the ninth, making an instinctive baserunning decision that completed the team’s four-run comeback in the inning.

With two out and the bases loaded, Taylor hit a ground ball to the right side of the infield. Starting at second base, Smith saw Toronto first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. deflect the ball on a diving effort, then accelerated toward home -- and through a stop sign from third base coach Dino Ebel -- as Santiago Espinal fumbled with the ball at second, failing to realize Smith was steaming to the plate for the tying run.

Moments later, Smith came up big again.

With one out in the top of the 10th, Bo Bichette hit a single to right field that appeared deep enough to score automatic baserunner Kevin Kiermaier from second base. But, even after an off-line throw from Betts in right, Smith was able to haul in the ball and lunge toward the plate, tagging Kiermaier on the knee just before he slid in.

That set the stage for James Outman to win the game in the bottom of the 10th, hitting a double off the top of the wall in right for the team’s fifth walk-off win of the season.

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From Jack Harris: Kiké Hernández is coming back to Los Angeles, the Dodgers taking a gamble he’ll look more like the player he was in his first stint with the team.

On Tuesday, the Dodgers completed a trade with the Boston Red Sox to reacquire Hernández, the veteran utility man who spent six years with the club from 2015 to 2020.

Hernández was having a career-worst year with the Red Sox, entering Tuesday batting .222 with just six home runs and a .599 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. While he gives the Dodgers the kind of right-handed bat they were seeking, he has been a below-league-average hitter against left-handed pitching this season, as well.

Now that he’s headed back to the Dodgers, the club will be hoping the 31-year-old can rediscover the form he flashed during his peak years with the team, when he batted .240 with a .737 OPS and helped them win the 2020 World Series.

The Dodgers sent minor league pitchers Nick Robertson and Justin Hagenman back in the deal, which was first reported by the Athletic. The Red Sox are also reportedly covering $2.5 million of the roughly $3.6 million still due to Hernández, who will be a free agent this offseason.

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How the Dodgers farm system factors into their deadline plans, Shohei Ohtani pursuit

Dodgers give Freddie Freeman high marks for his defense. So why do the computers say differently?

Dodgers box score

All MLB box scores

NL WEST STANDINGS

Dodgers, 58-42
San Francisco, 55-47, 4 GB
Arizona, 55-47, 4 GB
San Diego, 49-53, 10 GB
Colorado, 40-61, 18.5 GB

WILD-CARD STANDINGS
top three teams qualify

Cincinnati, 55-47
Miami, 54-47, 0.5 GB
San Francisco, 54-47
Arizona, 54-47

Philadelphia, 53-47, 0.5 GB
Chicago, 48-51, 5 GB
San Diego, 48-53, 6 GB
New York, 46-53, 7 GB

For full standings, go here

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ANGELS

Shohei Ohtani had two walks and two runs, Mickey Moniak hit a tiebreaking RBI double in the 10th inning, and the Angels beat the Detroit Tigers 7-6 on Tuesday night after blowing a four-run lead in the ninth inning.

Ohtani is potentially in his last week with the Angels. The franchise has to decide whether to risk losing the 29-year-old two-way star in free agency or trade him ahead of the trade deadline next Tuesday.

Angels general manager Perry Minasian has said it’s highly unlikely the team will trade Ohtani if it remains in playoff contention. Los Angeles, which has been hovering around .500, has improved its standing in the AL wild-card race by winning six of seven games.

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Angels box score

AL WEST STANDINGS

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Texas, 59-43
Houston, 58-44, 1 GB
Angels, 52-49, 6.5 GB
Seattle, 51-50, 7.5 GB
Oakland, 28-75, 31.5 GB

WILD-CARD STANDINGS
top three teams qualify

Tampa Bay, 62-42
Houston, 58-44
Toronto, 56-46

Boston, 54-47, 1.5 GB
New York, 53-48, 2.5 GB
Angels, 52-49, 3.5 GB
Seattle, 51-50, 4.5 GB
Cleveland, 50-51, 5.5 GB

For full standings, go here

CHARGERS

From Jeff Miller: After months of speculation, the Chargers and quarterback Justin Herbert agreed on a contract extension.

The five-year deal is worth up to $262.5 million, making Herbert the highest-paid player in the NFL based on average annual value.

Since the end of last season, the Chargers and Herbert made it clear that both sides were interested in an extension. The parameters of the rising quarterback market continued to be set this offseason, first with Philadelphia re-signing Jalen Hurts and then Baltimore extending Lamar Jackson.

The Chargers drafted Herbert sixth overall in 2020, one spot after Miami took Tua Tagovailoa. Herbert was the third quarterback selected, with Cincinnati drafting Joe Burrow at No. 1.

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RAMS

From Dylan Hernández: Las Vegas sportsbooks set the over/under for Rams wins this season at 6½, coach Sean McVay laughing uncomfortably when this information was relayed to him Tuesday.

“Whatever I say, I’m going to get in trouble right now,” McVay said. “They don’t believe in us.”

No one does.

Pro Football Focus ranked the Rams’ roster the second weakest in the NFL, ahead of only the Arizona Cardinals’.

The Rams won’t publicly use the R-word, but just two years after their Super Bowl triumph on their home field, they’re rebuilding.

He was less McVay-ey than he’s ever been, his once-youthful energy replaced by a hardened stoicism. His smiles looked forced. His laughs sounded that way too.

His goals for these Rams were modest, as he defined success for them as “continuous improvement.”

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“Being able to see that growth, see how we handle a 17-game season,” McVay said. “The reality in this sport is you’re going to have to be able to navigate through a storm and being able to do that, I think, is going to be one of the separators. How that is reflected isn’t exclusive to wins and losses.”

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SPARKS

Nneka Ogwumike had 30 points and eight rebounds, Jordin Canada made a go-ahead three-pointer with 3.2 seconds left, and the Sparks ended an eight-game losing streak with a 79-78 victory over the Indiana Fever on Tuesday night.

Los Angeles scored seven of the final nine points to secure its first victory since beating Dallas in back-to-back games in late June.

Ogwumike grabbed a loose ball in the paint and scored to pull Los Angeles within 78-76 with 38.1 seconds left. Indiana worked down the clock, but Victoria Vivians was off on a long three-pointer at the end of the shot clock.

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WOMEN’S WORLD CUP

From Kevin Baxter in Auckland, New Zealand: Five months ago it looked as if the closest Julie Ertz would come to a World Cup game this summer would be the distance between the sofa and TV in the living room of her Phoenix home.

She hadn’t played a game since the final match of the Tokyo Olympics in the summer of 2021, taking time off to start a family and heal some nagging injuries. If she was retiring, she hadn’t said so. But if she was coming back, she hadn’t said that either.

Even U.S. coach Vlatko Andonovski wasn’t sure of Ertz’s status.

“Time is running out for her,” he said in February. “She’s someone that we’re probably not going to be able to count on in the World Cup.”

Fast forward to last week. Not only was Ertz on the field for a full 90 minutes in the Americans’ tournament-opening win over Vietnam, but she started at center back, a position she hadn’t played for the national team since the World Cup opener four years ago.

She and the U.S. will face a bigger test Wednesday, Pacific time, when they meet the Netherlands in the second match of group play in Wellington, New Zealand. The game, which will likely decide which team wins the group, is a rematch of the 2019 World Cup final, won by the U.S. The teams also met in the quarterfinals of the Tokyo Olympics, with that game ending in a draw before the U.S. advanced on penalty kicks.

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Tuesday’s Results

Group A
Philippines 1, New Zealand 0
Switzerland 0, Norway 0

Standings
Top two in each group qualify for Round of 16
All times Pacific

Group A
Team, W-D-L, GD, Pts
Switzerland, 1-1-0, +2, 4
New Zealand, 1-0-1, 0, 3
Philippines, 1-0-1, -2, 3
Norway, 0-1-1, -1, 1

July 20
New Zealand 1, Norway 0
Switzerland 2, Philippines 0

July 24
Philippines 1, New Zealand 0

July 25
Switzerland 0, Norway 0

Sunday
Norway vs. Philippines, 12 a.m. FS1, Universo
Switzerland vs. New Zealand 12 a.m. Fox, Telemundo

Group B
Team, W-D-L, GD, Pts

Australia, 1-0-0, +1, 3
Canada, 0-1-0, 0, 1
Nigeria, 0-1-0, 0, 1
Ireland, 0-0-1, -1, 0

July 20
Australia 1 Ireland 0
Nigeria 0, Canada 0

Wednesday
Canada vs. Ireland 5 a.m. FS1, Universo

Thursday
Australia vs. Nigeria 3 a.m. FS1, Universo

Monday
Canada vs. Australia 3 a.m. FS1, Universo
Ireland vs. Nigeria 3 a.m. Fox, Telemundo

Group C
Team, W-D-L, GD, Pts

Japan, 1-0-0, +5, 3
Spain, 1-0-0, +3, 3
Costa Rica, 0-0-1, -3, 0
Zambia, 0-0-1, -5, 0

July 21
Spain 3, Costa Rica 0

July 22
Japan 5, Zambia 0

Tuesday (10 p.m.)
Japan vs. Costa Rica

Wednesday
Spain vs. Zambia 12:30 a.m. FS1, Telemundo

Monday
Japan vs. Spain 12 a.m. Fox, Telemundo
Costa Rica vs. Zambia 12 a.m. FS1, Universo

Group D
Team, W-D-L, GD, Pts

Denmark, 1-0-0, +1, 3
England, 1-0-0, +1, 3
China, 0-0-1, -1, 0
Haiti, 0-0-1, -1, 0

July 22
England 1, Haiti 0
Denmark 1, China 0

Friday
England vs. Denmark 1:30 a.m. FS1, Telemundo
China vs. Haiti 4 a.m. FS1, Universo

Tuesday, Aug. 1
China vs. England 4 a.m. Fox, Telemundo
Haiti vs. Denmark 4 a.m. FS1, Universo

Group E
Team, W-D-L, GD, Pts

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USA, 1-0-0, +3, 3
Netherlands, 1-0-0, +1, 3
Portugal, 0-0-1, -1, 0
Vietnam, 0-0-1, -3, 0

July 21
U.S. 3, Vietnam 0

July 23
Netherlands 1, Portugal 0

Wednesday
U.S. vs. Netherlands 6 p.m. Fox, Telemundo

Thursday
Portugal vs. Vietnam 12:30 a.m. FS1, Universo

Tuesday, Aug. 1
Vietnam vs. Netherlands 12 a.m. FS1, Universo
Portugal vs. U.S. 12 a.m. Fox, Telemundo

Group F
Team, W-D-L, GD, Pts

Brazil, 1-0-0, +4, 3
France, 0-1-0, 0, 1
Jamaica, 0-1-0, 0, 1
Panama, 0-0-1, -4, 0

July 23
France 0, Jamaica 0

July 24
Brazil 4, Panama 0

Saturday
France vs. Brazil 3 a.m. Fox, Telemundo
Panama vs. Jamaica 5:30 a.m. Fox, Telemundo

Wed., Aug. 2
Panama vs. France 3 a.m. Fox, Universo
Jamaica vs. Brazil 3 a.m. FS1, Telemundo

Group G
Team, W-D-L, GD, Pts

Sweden, 1-0-0, +1, 3
Italy, 1-0-0, +1, 3
Argentina, 0-0-1, -1, 0
South Africa, 0-0-1, -1, 0

July 22
Sweden 2, South Africa 1

July 23
Italy 1, Argentina 0

Thursday
Argentina vs. South Africa 5 p.m. FS1, Universo

Saturday
Sweden vs. Italy 12:30 a.m. FS1, Telemundo

Wed., Aug. 2
Argentina vs. Sweden 12 a.m. Fox, Telemundo
South Africa vs. Italy 12 a.m. FS1, Universo

Group H
Team, W-D-L, GD, Pts

Germany, 1-0-0, +6, 3
Colombia, 1-0-0, +2, 3
South Korea, 0-0-1, -2, 0
Morocco, 0-0-1, -6, 0

July 24
Germany 6, Morocco 0
Colombia 2, South Korea 0

Saturday
South Korea vs. Morocco 9:30 p.m. Fox, Universo

Sunday
Germany vs. Colombia 2:30 a.m. FS1, Telemundo

Thursday, Aug. 3
Morocco vs. Colombia 3 a.m. FS1, Telemundo
South Korea vs. Germany 3 a.m. Fox, Universo

SPORTS ON TV

Local teams on TV today:
All times Pacific

1 p.m., Toronto at Dodgers, SportsNet LA

3:30 p.m., Angels at Detroit, Bally Sports West

6 p.m., U.S. vs. Netherlands, Women’s World Cup, Fox

7:30 p.m., León vs. Galaxy, Leagues Cup, Apple TV

The rest of today’s sports on TV listings can be found here.

THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1928 — Gene Tunney beats Tom Heeney on a technical knockout in the 11th round at Yankee Stadium to retain the world heavyweight title.

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1952 — Bob Mathias wins his second Olympic decathlon in Helsinki, Finland.

1955 — Doug Ford defeats Cary Middlecoff 4 and 3 in the final round to capture the PGA title.

1981 — Pat Bradley shoots a record 279 total to win the U.S. Women’s Open. Kathy Whitworth, who finishes third, becomes the first million-dollar golfer in LPGA history.

1996 — American swimmer Amy Van Dyken wins the 50-meter freestyle to become Atlanta’s first quadruple gold medalist and the first U.S. woman to win four in a single Olympics.

1998 — Three spectators are killed — the first fan deaths at a major race in the United States in more than a decade — and six are injured by flying debris from a one-car crash at the U.S. 500 at Michigan Speedway.

2005 — Greg Maddux records his 3,000th career strikeout against San Francisco, striking out Omar Vizquel in the third inning of a 3-2, 11-inning victory for the Giants.

2015 — Kyle Busch’s incredible comeback continues with a weekend sweep at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He wins the Brickyard 400 a day after winning the second-tier Xfinity Series race. Busch, who missed the first 11 races of the season with a broken right leg and broken left foot, wins the fourth of the last five Sprint Cup Series races, including three straight.

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2021 — Hidilyn Diaz becomes the first athlete from the Philippines to win an Olympic gold medal in the 55kg class of weightlifting at the Tokyo Games.

—Compiled by the Associated Press

Until next time...

That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com, and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

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