LeBron and Savannah James have been among the most consistent couples in the NBA. They started as high school sweethearts, and even today, after being together for 24 years, the two adore each other. Fans have always wondered how their love story started. In 2023, Savannah sat down with Sylvia Obell of The Cut to share her experience as Queen James.
Advertisement
After her interviewer asked how she knew LeBron was “The One,” she revealed two scenarios. The first, a recollection of the couple’s first date at Outback Steakhouse, is pretty famous by now, but the second one is one she holds more dear.
According to Savannah, when they were both in high school, Akron experienced heavy snow storms one night, causing classes to be canceled the next day. Of course, as a teen, she expected to enjoy the snow day and stay in bed relaxing. That all changed after Bron called her, asking her to wake up, as he wanted to take her out to breakfast. In her own words,
“It was a snowstorm the night before, and we didn’t have school the next day. He called me: ‘I’mma come and get you, so we can go to breakfast.’ I answered the phone like, ‘Hello? I’m asleep.’ So I hung up the phone. I hopped up out of the bed so fast. I was so excited. As much as my body wanted to stay in that bed, my heart said, ‘No, we going to get breakfast.’ And we spent the whole day together.”
In 2018, Savannah told Cleveland Magazine that she and James were students of rival high schools back when they started dating. James famously attended St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, while Savannah studied at Buchtel High School. After meeting him through a mutual friend, she attended a few of his games upon his invitation, and after a while, she got his number from a friend. Soon after, they went on their first date.
LeBron and Savannah’s first date
As Savannah told Obell, the story of their first date has found its way to the internet. But what the internet didn’t know was the specifics, and Savannah gladly obliged.
“For our first date, we went to Outback Steakhouse. I’m sure that’s a thing that everybody knows at this point. I took some food home, and when he dropped me off at home, I left the food in the car. I realized it once I got in the house, because then I was about to eat for real. But he called me and was like, ‘I got your food. I’m going to come back and drop it off.’ And I’m like, ‘You just want to see me again. Okay, bring my food.’”
In a separate interview with Harper’s Bazaar in 2010, however, she claimed she knew James 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 said, before admitting, “I think he just wanted another excuse to come and see me.”
Irrespective of what James had originally wanted, their first date was a resounding success. The two dated for another 12 years before eventually tying the knot in 2013.
