LeBron James and his wife on holiday

Savannah James, the spouse of LeBron James, has supported him since high school.

 

LeBron “Bronny” James Jr., Bryce Maximus, and Zhuri Nova are the couple’s three children together. They were married in 2013 and are from Akron, Ohio.

 

LeBron James, often known to his followers as King James, has made it very evident that he would be “absolutely nothing” without his queen at his side as his NBA career has soared over the years.

 

Savannah rejoiced in February 2023 when her husband beat Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record to become the NBA’s all-time top scorer. As soon as he made the game-changing shot, she gathered on the court at Crypto.com Arena with her loved ones. The mother of three also made LeBron a heartfelt video message, which read:

“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.”

In July, LeBron honored his wife at the ESPYs when he received the award for best record-breaking performance for becoming the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. “For our family, no one has sacrificed more and more hard work to support this family more than you and I appreciate you for that, love you,” he told his wife.

Even though she gets “a little bit clammy” when she hits the red carpet or appears on TV, Savannah has been making a name for herself in her own right with her personal business ventures and her passion for giving back to young people.

Keep reading to learn more about LeBron’s high school sweetheart, Savannah James.

 

She and LeBron met as teenagers

In 2018, Savannah told Cleveland Magazine that she first met her future husband when she was a 16-year-old high school sophomore — LeBron was a year older and attended a rival school. She recalled that he’d asked a friend for her phone number, but she decided to take his number 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 said.

LeBron invited her to one of his basketball games, and the pair linked up with friends to go to Applebee’s afterward. Their first solo date, at Outback Steakhouse, came a few weeks later.

Savannah knew it was love pretty quickly, telling Harper’s Bazaar in 2010: “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. I think he just wanted another excuse to come and see me.”

 

She’s the youngest of five children

The Ohioan was raised alongside four other siblings. According to Savannah, who spoke with Cleveland Magazine, her parents, Jennifer and JK, always had an open door policy with their kids’ friends. This showed their children a sense of love and charity. “If they had something going on at home, or they just needed a safe haven, my mum and dad always opened up their doors,” she said.

 

She doesn’t enjoy being in the spotlight

Even though she is now a member of a powerful couple, Savannah admitted to Harper’s Bazaar that she finds celebrity “kind of weird.” I’ve always stayed in the background, she remarked. It’s kind of bizarre that magazines and paparazzi are now snapping images of me. I was obviously wrong to believe that it would reach this level of severity.”Celebrates ‘Queen’ Savannah with LeBron James on the couple’s eighth wedding anniversary

 

She repeated same feelings to Cleveland Magazine, saying, “I definitely get a little bit clammy when you want me to be on a TV show or walk the red carpet or something.” That is a little too much for me.”

 

She shares three children with LeBron

During Savannah’s senior year — and LeBron’s rookie year in the NBA — the couple had an unplanned pregnancy with their first child, LeBron “Bronny” James Jr., who was born on Oct. 6, 2004. Of the experience, she told Harper’s Bazaar, “I was thinking, ‘What am I going to tell my parents? What’s going to happen to his career?’ I was very scared. I was bawling. But [LeBron] said, ‘It’s not going to slow me down, and it’s not going to slow you down. We’re going to keep doing what we have to do.’ “

Bronny was joined by baby brother Bryce on June 14, 2007, and sister Zhuri Nova on Oct. 22, 2014.

Now a teenager, Bronny has shown real promise as a basketball player and his proud parents are happy to support his athletic endeavors. On Jan. 11, 2023, LeBron and Savannah attended their oldest child’s senior night game. Bryce was on the court as well and Zhuri watched from the stands.

Four months later, Bronny committed to play basketball at the University of Southern California. The young athlete had only just started practices with his new team when he suffered from cardiac arrest during a workout in July.

The following day, a representative for the James family explained: “Medical staff was able to treat Bronny and take him to the hospital. He is now in stable condition and no longer in ICU.”

 

She’s committed to giving back

In 2017, Savannah launched her mentorship program Women of Our Future, which provides one-on-one counseling and support for young girls in Akron, as she explained to Cleveland Magazine. She also spoke at the Akron Community Foundation’s “For Women, Forever” event and was an honorary chair for the YWCA of Greater Cleveland’s Circle fundraiser, both in 2018.

Since 2013, she has run the annual I PROM-ise Makeover event, offering local Akron students the chance to score prom attire and accessories for free.

“I’m still a very private person,” she told Cleveland Magazine. “But these things reflect the passion that I have as far as giving back, the philanthropic part of me. So with those things, I don’t mind stepping out.”

 

She runs the James household

In 2017, LeBron told Vogue that Savannah is in charge of managing the lives of the couple’s three kids because of his busy schedule. “I’m gone a lot, so she is the boss of the household; she’s the rule-setter,” he said. “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.”

 

She has enjoyed career success on her own and with LeBron

While the family was in Miami during LeBron’s tenure with the Miami Heat, Savannah ran The Juice Spot, a juicery in the Brickell neighborhood, which she closed after two years when the family moved back to Cleveland.

Together, the couple also launched their own furniture line with American Signature called Home Court by LeBron James, as reported by Business Insider.

 

LeBron leans on her for support

LeBron has praised Savannah multiple times over the years, both in interviews and on social media. As he told Harper’s Bazaar in 2010: “A person like myself always needs a great sidekick and a person you can rely on no matter the circumstances. And she’s that. She’s got my back and I love her for that.”

In September 2022, LeBron celebrated nine years of his supportive marriage by sharing a glamorous photo of himself and Savannah from a Vanity Fair shoot. He captioned the Instagram Story, “Queen,” and added, “P.S. YOU SO DAMN SEXY! WOW,” along with heart and drooling face emojis.

Savannah also marked the special day on Instagram, sharing an adorable photo of the couple toasting with friends. “9 years down(21), forever to go!!,” she wrote in the caption. “Cheers to us my love!!🥂Happy Anniversary!!💕#JamesGang.”

 

She was on the May/June 2023 cover of The Cut

In May 2023, The Cut released Savannah’s cover story. The mom-of-three talked candidly about why she didn’t seek fame and notoriety as a young NBA wife and how she’s accepting that this is her moment to “be seen” by the public.

“That time, to be honest, was spent pouring into my boys. I just really wanted to enjoy being a mom and supporting my husband. I wasn’t super-comfortable with putting myself out like that,” she said.

More recently, Savannah has taken a step into the spotlight — making more public appearances and posting more regularly on social media. The outlet asked her what it’s like to have people “thirsting” for her in the Instagram comments.

“I appreciate it. Everyone wants to see that people are interested in what they’re doing at the time,” Savannah responded. “Sometimes I’m like, ‘Oh, my gosh, a little bit much.’ But I get it and I’m cool with it. I understood that maybe this is just where I’m at right now and this is my time to, I don’t know, be seen.”

Savannah also addressed LeBron’s motto that “he would be nothing without” his wife.

“It’s very nice to hear that the sacrifices that you’ve made and the work that you’ve put into making sure that our children are raised properly and that he has a stable environment that’s full of love and good vibes and all the things — it’s a testament to be told that,” she said. “I think it’s a testament to myself to be like, ‘Yeah, thank you. I did that.’ “

 

She and LeBron enjoy dressing up on Halloween

In October 2023, the couple dressed up as characters from the 1988 film Beetlejuice. LeBron, in a retro red suit and crazy hair, went as the titular character, while Savannah, who was painted blue and wore a bright red wig, went as Miss Argentina.