JSYK, LeBron James and His Wife Savannah Have ~Le Cutest~ Love Story
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Can we agree that itās pretty impressive when someone manages to stay together with their high school sweetheart? Whatās even more impressive: when someone stays together with their high school sweetheart even after becoming a major celebrity. But thatās exactly what happened with Los Angeles Lakers legend and Space Jam: A New Legacy star LeBron James, whoās been with his wife, Savannah James (nĆ©e Brinson), since they were teenagers. Over 20 years later, the two are still going strong and even share three kids together: sons LeBron āBronnyā Jr. and Bryce (who are promising basketball stars themselves), as well as daughter Zhuri. Precious!!
And while youāll often see Savannah cheering on her hubs at games, sheās also got an impressive career of her own. The entrepreneur and philanthropist has owned a juice shop, designed a furniture line, and established a mentorship programāall while always looking chic AF. Sadly, though I can't tell you much about LeBron's stats (I'm not a sports girly, srry š), hereās what we do know about his longtime love.
Savannah was a high school cheerleader
Like LeBron, Savannah grew up in Akron, Ohio, where she was the youngest of five siblings and attended Buchtel High School (which was the rival of St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, where LeBron was recruited to play basketball). When Savannah was 16 and LeBron was 17, the two met at a football game, and although LeBron was instantly smitten (his future wife was a cheerleader, after all), Savannah wouldnāt allow their mutual friend to give LeBron her phone number. As she later explained to Cleveland Magazine, āIām like, āUm, nope. Iāll take his number.āā
Eventually, Savannah called up LeBron, and he invited her to watch one of his basketball games. The game led to a group hang at Applebeeās...which then led to a one-on-one date at Outback Steakhouse...which then led to a 20-year relationship. Iconic.
She got pregnant during her senior year
When Savannah was in her senior year of high school (not long after LeBron joined the Cavs as a rookie), she became pregnant with their first son, Bronny. Considering she was a teenager and her boyfriend had just been announced as the number one overall pick at the NBA Draft, the timing was...not ideal. Luckily, LeBron had Savannahās back through it all.
āI was thinking, āWhat am I going to tell my parents? Whatās going to happen to his career?āā Savannah later explained to Harpers Bazaar. āI was very scared. I was bawling. But he said, āItās not going to slow me down, and itās not going to slow you down. Weāre going to keep doing what we have to do.āā They welcomed Bronny in October 2004, and in June 2007, they had a second son, Bryce. Eventually, they became a family of five when their daughter, Zhuri, was born in October 2014.
Sheās now an entrepreneur
Inspired by her husbandās many business ventures, Savannah decided to start a business of her own in 2013. As she explained to ESPNās Miami Heat Index blog, āI would listen to him talk about his conversations with Warren Buffett or Jerry Jones. But I wanted to get into business too.ā While LeBron was still playing for the Miami Heat, Savannah opened a cold-pressed juice bar in Miamiās Brickell neighborhood called The Juice Spotāalthough sadly, she had to close up shop when LeBron rejoined the Cavs, since the family had to relocate to Cleveland.
In 2018, Savannah partnered with Velana ColĆ³n to found K+ Organics, a kid-friendly organic juice company created specifically with child athletes in mind. āIn this day and age, there are so many more healthy alternatives for adults than we had growing up, but itās frustrating to still not see healthier options for kids,ā she told Forbes when asked about the motivation behind the company. And since she has a passion for interior design, Savannah also previously worked with American Signature to release a line of family-friendly furniture called Home Court.
Sheās passionate about giving back
While she tends to stay out of the spotlight, Savannah doesnāt mind attracting a lil attention when it comes to her philanthropic efforts. āIām still a very private person,ā she told Cleveland Magazine. āBut these things reflect the passion that I have as far as giving back, the philanthropic part of me. So with those things, I donāt mind stepping out.ā Sheās done volunteer work with the LeBron James Family Foundation since 2004, and in 2017, she launched her own mentorship program called Women of Our Future, which is an initiative that works to empower and support young women in Akron.
In addition to running Women of Our Future, Savannah has hosted her annual I PROMise Makeover event for high schoolers in Akron every year since 2011. As Savannah recounted to Essence, āMy favorite moment was when a young lady who put a dress would not stop crying. We told her how beautiful she was. She said, āIām just so excited. I just never thought that this would happen for me.ā Thatās why I do it. Those exact words she said because she deserves it.ā
She inspired a character in Space Jam: A New Legacy
Although Savannah and her kids didnāt appear in the Space Jam sequel, they *did* inspire LeBronās fictionalized family in the movie. According to actress Sonequa Martin-Greece (who played LeBronās onscreen wife), her character Kamiyah James was inspired by Savannah, while LeBronās onscreen kidsāDominic, Darius, and Xosha Jamesāare fictionalized versions of his actual kids.
But as Sonequa explained, she made sure to make the character of Kamiyah distinct from the real Savannah. āShe came to set a few times, and we had lovely conversations and just some good quality time,ā she told Entertainment Weekly about Savannah. āI really loved being able to connect with her. But what I actually did was created this woman from the script...I do know that thereās going to be some similarities, of course, but there were a few interesting differences as well.ā
She had BeyoncƩ perform at her wedding
After nearly a decade together, LeBron popped the question to Savannah in December 2011 at a New Yearās Eve party in Miami Beach. A little less than two years later, Savannah and LeBron made things official with a September 2013 wedding at the Grand Del Mar in San Diego. The super-secretive celebration included famous friends like Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union, and the couple even flew in BeyoncĆ© and Jay-Z to perform āCrazy in Loveā with a full band. Casual!
They show each other love all the time on social media
Back in September 2021, the couple posted respective tributes to each other for their eighth wedding anniversary, and the posts are truly beyond sweet:
And even more recently, the basketball pro took to Insta to hype up how incredible his wife looked at the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscars after-partyāas he should! I mean:
Savannah and LeBron are T-R-U-L-Y a powerful duo, and hereās hoping these high school sweethearts have many more happy years ahead of āem.
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