LeBron James's Wife Savannah Says She 'Knew' He Loved Her After A Kind Gesture On Their First Date
Their love story is one for the age
Instagram & Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock LeBron James has had the full support of his wife Savannah James as he continues breaking records and solidifying his place as one of the best basketball players in history.
In February 2023, for example, Savannah shared a message for her husband after he became the NBA's all-time leading scorer.
"I am so proud of you. I witness day in and day out the hard work, the sacrifice and the professionalism that you put into this game every day. I know that this was not something you set out to do, but you've done it and you should congratulate yourself, you should celebrate yourself. You deserve all the respect. It couldn't be happening to a better, more dedicated person. I love you," she said in a pre-recorded video.
LeBron and Savannah have a love story that spans more than two decades. They've been through ups and downs, highs and lows, but have managed to come out on top — together.
How did LeBron James and Savannah James meet?
The James' are high school sweethearts and met when Savannah Brinson was a sophomore at Buchtel in Akron, Ohio, and LeBron was a junior at nearby St. Vincent-St. Mary.
LeBron and Savannah met and started dating in high school in 2002.
Savannah told Cleveland Magazine that a mutual friend mentioned that LeBron wanted her number but she insisted on taking his instead.
"One day I’m sitting around — I was probably bored or something — and I’m like, ‘Oh, I forgot! I have this number for this guy that I can call. He seemed interested, so let’s see,'" she recalled.
She was just 16 years old at the time. LeBron invited her to watch one of his basketball games before taking her out on a one-on-one date; dinner at Outback Steakhouse. The two have been inseparable ever since.
Savannah joked that she knew Lebron loved her after their first date.
“I knew he loved me when I left my leftovers from dinner in his car.”
“I’d totally forgotten about them, and he brought them to me,” she told Harper's Bazaar in 2010, according to People, “I think he just wanted another excuse to come and see me.”
"He is truly a king to his queen, if you will," Savannah told Cleveland Magazine.
"He treats me with so much respect — I mean, it’s hard to not love him, with the way that he is with me and the kids and his mom and just everyone who’s around him. He’s a really, really humble guy for everything that he has and everything that he’s done," she added.
LeBron and Savannah welcomed their first child together in 2004.
While in high school, Savannah got pregnant with her first baby. She and LeBron welcomed their son LeBron James, Jr. on October 6, 2004.
When she found out she was pregnant, Savannah said she was very "scared." In an interview with Harper's Bazaar, she recalls attending her prom when she was five months along.
"If I think about it now, it looked terrible. A halter top with a mermaid bottom and rhinestones," she said, adding, "it was cute at the time."
LeBron and Savannah went on to welcome their son Bryce Maximus in 2007 and daughter Zhuri in 2014.
When did LeBron James and Savannah James get married?
LeBron knew fairly early on that Savannah was the woman that he wanted to spend his life with.
"We have been down since high school," he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2018. He went on to say that Savannah was the person with him shooting hoops when he had "absolutely nothing."
LeBron proposed to Savannah on New Year's Eve in 2011 in Miami.
"I had been thinking about it for a while, but it just came to me one day and I was like, 'This is just another part of growth for me,'" he said on an episode of Oprah's Next Chapter.
LeBron and Savannah got married on September 14, 2002.
The couple tied the knot in front of family and friends and had a star-studded ceremony, that included a performance by Beyonce and Jay Z, in San Diego, California, in September 2013, according to NBC Sports.
These days, the couple supports one another while keeping communication open and doing what works best for their family.
"No book that can tell you about parenthood,” LeBron told Vogue in 2017.
“Even your mom, your dad, your grandparents—they can give you pointers, but you have to go along that path on your own because every kid is different; every situation is different. Me and my wife are different, but at the same time we’re the same," he said. He told the outlet that his wife is "the boss of the household."
"She’s the rule-setter. It’s hard for me to go on the road for two and half weeks and then come home and tell my kids, ‘Look, this is how it should be done’ when she’s been home every day," he explained.
Effie Orfanides has been reporting on celebrity and entertainment news since 2009. She is the former Director of Operations of The Inquisitr and currently has bylines at People, NickiSwift, The List, and Heavy. In 2022, she released her first mobile app called beacheo.