Elon Musk is using Bronny James’ cardiac arrest to baselessly spout anti-vaccine talking points

• Elon Musk is using Bronny James’ cardiac arrest to share anti-vaccine talking points. 
• James went into cardiac arrest Monday during a basketball practice at USC. 
• In a tweet, Musk baselessly speculated about the COVID-19 vaccine, which has not been linked to James at all.

Elon Musk is using news of Bronny James’ cardiac arrest to baselessly speculate about the COVID-19 vaccine on Twitter.

A family spokesperson told Insider on Tuesday that James went into cardiac arrest during a Monday basketball practice at USC’s Galen Center. He was taken to the hospital and was treated in the ICU. James is now in stable condition. 

The news was shared widely on Twitter Tuesday, prompting Musk to share some anti-vaccine talking points. 

In a reply to a tweet about the James news, Musk brought up the COVID-19 vaccine — without any evidence it was connected to James’ cardiac arrest. 

“We cannot ascribe everything to the vaccine, but, by the same token, we cannot ascribe nothing,” Musk said on Twitter — now rebranded as X. “Myocarditis is a known side-effect. The only question is whether it is rare or common.”

Myocarditis is not the most common cause of sudden cardiac arrest in young athletes 

There is no credible reporting that the COVID vaccine caused James to go into cardiac arrest during a workout on Monday.

In rare cases, COVID-19 vaccines can cause a type of heart inflammation called myocarditis, and the issue is more common among young men. But there is no indication that James, age 18, had myocarditis.

Generally, COVID-19 vaccine-induced myocarditis involves some mild chest pain, and possibly shortness of breath. It tends to clear up within a few days. Young men are at greater risk of developing more severe myocarditis with COVID-19, the disease. 

There are plenty of other reasons why James’ heart might’ve stopped pumping on the court. 

“There are a number of causes for sudden cardiac arrest in athletes who are 35 and younger,” Dr. John Higgins, a sports cardiologist for the Houston Rockets basketball team, said previously in an article shared by UTHealth Houston. “Sometimes it can just be a normal heart at the wrong place and the wrong time.” 

The most common cause of sudden cardiac arrest in young athletes in the US is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which is often caused by genetics, and makes it hard for a person’s heart to take in or pump out enough blood.

Musk did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment on his tweet. He has long been skeptical of mandating the COVID-19 vaccine and has questioned its effectiveness, despite the overwhelming scientific consensus that the vaccine is safe and protects against severe COVID-19.

Musk’s social media site has also boosted the profile of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a Democrat running for president who founded one of the most prominent anti-vaccine organizations, and who has consistently promoted baseless conspiracy theories about COVID-19 vaccines and 5G wireless technology.