Top high school basketball player dies after going into cardiac arrest during a school workout

• Caleb White died after collapsing during a basketball practice in Alabama.
• White's grandfather said he went into cardiac arrest and attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful.

One of the top high school basketball players in America died on Thursday after going into cardiac arrest during practice.

Pinson Valley High School principal Michael Turner announced that Caleb White, the school's star point guard, had died on Thursday, according to AL.com, an Alabama-based digital news website.

George Varnadoe Jr., White's grandfather, said that people attempted to resuscitate White after he collapsed, but were unsuccessful in a Facebook post.

"OUR WHOLE FAMILY WAS REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO HIS UPCOMING SENIOR SEASON AND AFTERWARDS, PLAYING FOR A D-1 SCHOOL AND THEN PERHAPS THE NBA," Varnadoe wrote. "BUT…..IT WASN'T MEANT TO BE."

Varnadoe said that White was 17-years-old and was "very respectful," had a "high intellect," and was an "excellent role model."

White averaged 21 points per game last year as a junior, according to MaxPreps. White was rated a three-star point guard by ESPN and was the No. 3 ranked basketball player in Alabama, according to the outlet.

Cardiac arrest is rare for people under 30 but can occur for athletes during intense competition. In January, 24-year-old Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field during a game in Cincinnati, but cardiac arrests can be even more common for basketball players.

One study published in 2020 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that Black, male, NCAA Division I basketball players had the highest incidence rate of sudden cardiac arrest and death among athletes 11 to 29 years old.

LeBron James's son, Bronny James, was rushed to the ICU last month after going into cardiac arrest during a practice at the University of Southern California, where he was expected to play this year. Another USC player, Vince Iwuchukwu, also went into sudden cardiac arrest during a practice in July 2022, according to CNN.

In 2020, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Keyontae Johnson collapsed on the court during a game while he was playing for the University of Florida.

Johnson declined a $5 million insurance payout from the NCAA that would have required him to quit playing college basketball after the incident, according to USA Today. Johnson only saw time in five games at Florida the following two years before transferring to Kansas State where he became a third-team All-American.