LeBron James has been a superstar in the NBA for more than 20 years, but he’s been with his wife, Savannah, even longer. The two began dating during their high school years, and before James’ superstardom, their relationship looked like a typical teenage love story. Savannah once reminisced on the early days of their courtship, opening up about when she knew LeBron was “the one.”
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In a 2023 interview with The Cut, the 38-year-old shared stories about two moments that convinced her LeBron would be her life partner. Both took place early in the relationship, as teenage LeBron clearly viewed Savannah as the woman for him from the start. Despite knowing endless glitz and glamour were coming his way, LeBron still treated Savannah like a gentleman should, and that stuck with her.
Both scenarios also involved getting food, as Savannah recalled their very first date was to an Outback Steakhouse. Possibly trying to appear more ladylike, Savannah took most of her meal to go, and that decision turned out to be serendipitous.
“I took some food home, and when [LeBron] dropped me off at home, I left the food in the car,” Savannah said. “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.'”
The second story involved a surprise invitation that Savannah simply couldn’t refuse, despite feeling comfortable at home in bed. “It was a snowstorm the night before, and we didn’t have school the next day. [LeBron] called me: ‘I’mma come and get you so we can go to breakfast,'” Savannah recalled.
“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,” said Savannah. These two dates proved to be the beginning of a lasting relationship. Savannah has previously spoken about how well LeBron continues to treat her.
Savannah James gushed about the respect LeBron gives her
For a marriage to last, it’s important that both parties carry the same love and respect for the other than they had at the start of the relationship. That doesn’t seem to be a problem for LeBron and Savannah, as the latter shared how well her husband treats her.
“He is truly a king to his queen, if you will,” she says of the attraction. “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,” Savannah said of LeBron in 2018.
Now 40 years old, LeBron has a strong case to be named the greatest basketball player of all time. But even 22 seasons into a Hall-of-Fame career, LeBron has never forgotten where he came from.
