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Nasha Smith
Updated
- LeBron and Savannah James met in high school and had their first date at Outback Steakhouse.
- They tied the knot in 2013 with a star-studded guest list and a performance by Beyoncé and Jay-Z.
- The couple now has three children — Bronny, Bryce, and Zhuri.
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2002: They met while in high school.
James was a rising superstar in basketball and football at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, when he met Savannah Brinson, a cheerleader and softball player from a rival school.
He asked the then-16-year-old to a basketball game and she agreed. But Brinson knew there was something special brewing when he returned for her leftovers after their first date at Outback Steakhouse.
"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 told Harper's Bazaar in 2010, per People.
2003: LeBron made the jump to the NBA.
The high-school senior became the top pick in the 2003 NBA draft. As luck would have it, James was selected by their hometown Cleveland Cavaliers.
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2004: The couple welcomed their first child.
During James' rookie season, the couple learned that Savannah was pregnant.
"I was thinking, 'What am I going to tell my parents? What's going to happen to his career?'" explained Brinson in the same Harper's Bazaar interview, per Parade."I was very scared. I was bawling. But he 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.'"
On October 6, 2004, Brinson gave birth to LeBron James, Jr. aka Bronny.
2007: Another member joined the James family.
Three years later the couple had another son, Bryce Maximus, on June 14, 2007.
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2010: The couple made the decision to move to Miami.
LeBron made the decision heard around the world when he decided to take his talents to Miami, Florida, and leave his hometown team.
Savannah said she thought the public's outrage to the switch was unfair.
"You have fans and you think they're going to roll with you no matter what, and then they burn your jersey? It's unfair," Brinson told Harper's Bazaar in the same profile, per Yahoo!. "But they did it. It's over."
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2011: LeBron and Savannah got engaged.
James said he was nervous when he popped the question to his longtime love at a star-studded New Year's Eve bash.
"It felt like a finals game," he told Oprah Winfrey in 2012.
"I had been thinking about it, you know, for a while but it just came to me one day and I was like, 'This is a part of growth for me,'" he continued. "I was like, 'This is the lady and the woman I have been with through all the good and all the bad. She's been there for a long time and I wanted her to continue to be there with me,' so I felt like at that moment it was time."
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2013: The two got married in a star-studded celebration.
On September 14, 2022, the pair exchanged vows in San Diego, California, in a lavish three-day affair that ended with a farewell brunch.
Among the 200 guests were several of James' then-Miami Heat teammates including Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, owner Micky Arison, coach Erik Spoelstra, and actresses Gabrielle Union, and Lala Anthony.
The highlight of the festivities came when Beyoncé and Jay-Z performed "Crazy in Love" at the reception.
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2016: The family moved back to Cleveland and James clinched a championship.
When James announced that he was returning home to the Cavaliers in 2014, he made a vow to bring a championship to the city.
He made good on that promise in the 2016 NBA Finals, in an upset victory over the record-setting Golden State Warriors.
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2017: The pair launched philanthropic ventures.
In 2017, Savannah launched Akron: Women of Our Future, a mentorship program for high-school girls at her alma mater, Buchtel Community Learning Center.
Together with her husband, she continued their ongoing philanthropic ventures with the LeBron James Family Foundation back-to-school orientation to provide support for at-risk students. In 2018, with the support of the foundation, LeBron opened the I Promise School, a public elementary school in Akron, Ohio.
"If there's nothing more you can do for a child, just constantly encourage them and set them on the right path when it comes to sports or their schoolwork or nurturing a hobby — with whatever it is," Savannah told Vogue in 2017. "Just be a constant source of encouragement. That's what LeBron talks about — never give up."
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2018: LeBron surprised Savannah for their anniversary.
For their fifth wedding anniversary, LeBron pulled out all the stops by having singer/songwriter Daniel Caesar serenade Savannah in their living room with his hit song "Best Part."
James documented the sweet surprise on his Instagram story with the caption, "Happy Anniversary!!! Love you forever."
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2022: The couple celebrated their nine-year wedding anniversary.
In September, LeBron shared a photo of him and his wife on Instagram storied and the caption, per People, read"Queen…PS. YOU SO DAMN SEXY! WOW."
Savannah posted a photo of the pair raising their glasses on Instagram, writing, "9 years down(21), forever to go!! Cheers to us my love!!!...Happy Anniversary!!"
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2023: Savannah celebrated her husband breaking an NBA record.
In February, LeBron became NBA's all-time leading scorer with 38,388 points.
Savannah shared an Instagram post of the two almost kissing next to a celebratory cake.
She captioned it, "Such a momentous milestone you've achieved!! Words can't express how proud I am of you and how grateful I am to have been apart of the journey. Congratulations my love!!" with a Champagne-toast, hearts, and sparkle emojis.
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