The Hollywood Reporter in September 2018, while recalling that their first date was at Outback Steakhouse when they were teenagers. “You wouldn’t be talking to me right now if it weren’t for her,” he added. Initially, she was content to stay out of the public eye and just be known as LeBron’s wife, but Savannah underwent a transformation and was later in the spotlight.
In May 2023, Savannah opened up about her decision to become more of a public figure. “That time, to be honest, was spent on my boys,” she told The Cut, referring to the years spent mostly away from the media as the matriarch of the James family. “I wasn’t very comfortable putting myself in danger like that,” the philanthropist said. Savannah may have become more involved in media, even starting her own podcast, but she was wary of avoiding the “rabbit hole” of online rumors.
Savannah’s time in the spotlight only increased when her eldest son, Bronny James, began playing alongside LeBron with the Los Angeles Lakers. After Bronny’s first game, Savannah shared a heartfelt hug with her son. The moment was especially emotional considering the tragic event that nearly derailed Bronny’s basketball career and nearly cost him his life.
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His son had a terrifying incident
The James family was shocked to learn that Bronny James collapsed from cardiac arrest during a team practice at the University of Southern California in July 2023. “Medical staff were able to treat Bronny and the ‘take to the hospital. He is now in stable condition and is no longer in intensive care,” said a statement from the family obtained by CNN. It was surprising that a young college athlete would suffer a cardiac arrest, but a family spokesperson released a statement in August clarifying the matter. Apparently, the problem was due to a “significant congenital heart defect,” NBC News noted. Bronny eventually underwent surgery and fully recovered from the frightening condition.
In November 2023, Bronny was cleared to fully resume basketball activities. Even though the collapse the previous summer was traumatic, Savannah showed support for her older son’s return to the sport he loved. Shortly after returning to the court, she uploaded snaps of Bronny in his USC uniform to her Instagram Stories and included a handful of flex emojis, according to Sportskeeda. Later, Savannah opened up about dealing with her son’s health issues.
In an episode of Netflix’s documentary “Starting 5” released in October 2024, Savannah spoke about Bronny’s cardiac arrest and the impact it had. “I think at the end of the day it was just about supporting each other and being very grateful for the outcome,” Savannah said. She was no stranger to adversity as a mother, as Savannah had her firstborn at a very young age.
She was pregnant in high school
Savannah and LeBron James were high school sweethearts — everyone knows they dated back in the day. But what’s less talked about is that Savannah found out she was pregnant with Bronny during her senior year. Obviously, this was before the couple got married and before LeBron even turned professional. “I was thinking, ‘What am I going to tell my parents?’ What’s going to happen to his career?'” she recalled to Harper’s Bazaar in August 2010.
Luckily, St. Mary’s basketball phenom Vincent kept his cool and supported his then-girlfriend. “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,'” Savannah recalled to Harper’s when discussing LeBron’s reaction to the news. She also recalled making her prom dress when she was five months pregnant and joked that it “probably looked terrible.” Savannah also said she plans to keep the child no matter what. “Even if it had been my mother’s advice, I would have fought until the end,” she added.
Years later, after giving birth to three children, Savannah spoke candidly about her parents’ role in the situation. “I still never talked about sex with my parents,” she said on her podcast “Everybody’s Crazy.” Her co-host, April McDaniel, asked if Savannah thinks she would have still gotten pregnant in high school if her mother had talked to her. “Probably,” Savannah replied with a laugh. Getting pregnant wasn’t the only difficulty Savannah faced at school, as she also got into several fights.
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Why Savannah James Had to Stand Up for Herself at School
Even though she met future NBA star LeBron James in high school, there were some difficult times in Savannah James’ educational career. Maybe dating a well-known athlete was to his detriment. “I was fighting. I don’t like to fight. But I had to fight back,” Savannah said on her “Everybody’s Crazy” podcast in June. “I had girls who didn’t like me and couldn’t tell anyone why they didn’t like me,” she said. According to Savannah, these fights were mainly happening to defend her friends, but her podcast co-host believed the altercations were due to another reason. “I would hate you too if your boyfriend was LeBron James,” April McDaniels joked.
McDaniels wasn’t the only one who thought Savannah might have a target on her back because she was dating LeBron. “Yeah, stop playing Savannah, you know why they didn’t like you. You literally had a walking ticket on your arm!'” a fan on X, formerly Twitter, chimed in.
While some may have thought it was obvious that Savannah was angering her classmates because she was the girlfriend of a future Cleveland Cavaliers star, LeBron’s stardom wasn’t immediately obvious to her. The couple met at a soccer game, as she recalled in Harper’s Bazaar in 2010. “I had no idea who he was,” Savannah recalled. LeBron eventually invited her to watch him play basketball, and that’s when she started to get a sense of who he was. “I went there and I was like, ‘Wow, this guy’s pretty popular here,'” Savannah added. Of course, just like in high school, dating a popular athlete has its downsides, like constant rumors.
LeBron James Cheating Rumors
As is the case with dating a high-profile personality, Savannah James has faced incessant cheating rumors about LeBron James. Internet personality Sofia Franklyn claimed on her podcast “Sofia with an F” that the former NBA MVP was often unfaithful to his wife. “LeBron James is constantly throwing various parties where NDAs have to be signed, and women are present,” Franklyn said during a September 2022 episode. “You didn’t know LeBron was a cheater?” she added. She wasn’t the only woman to accuse LeBron of infidelity.
A few years earlier, model Erza Haliti — who is married to NFL tight end Nick Vannet — took to her Instagram Stories to level cheating accusations against the Los Angeles Lakers star. “Am I the only one who isn’t a LeBron fan?” Haliti wrote in September 2020, according to Fadeaway World. “I guess I’ve never been a fan of guys who cheat on their wives, especially with @sofiajamora,” she said, referring to model Sofia Jamora. She wasn’t the only model romantically linked to LeBron.
The same month that Haliti made her public accusations, fans confronted LeBron on X about cheating with model/influencer YesJulz — whose real name is Marie Goddard. For years, rumors swirled about LeBron and Goddard’s relationship, and in June 2023, she finally put those claims to rest. “I have never been alone in my entire life with LeBron James, period,” Goddard said in an impassioned speech posted to her Instagram Stories. That said, Goddard admitted to having a romantic relationship with another NBA player that LeBron knew. “I didn’t fuck with LeBron…I have the utmost respect for Savannah,” YesJulz added. Unfortunately for Savannah, the rumors about LeBron’s supposed indiscretions weren’t the only cheating rumors she faced.
Sources Claimed Savannah James Dated Another NBA Player
Long before rumors of LeBron James being unfaithful to his longtime partner surfaced, rumors were swirling that Savannah James had cheated on the then-Miami Heat star. Rumors surrounding relationship infidelities began in June 2011 when a source called Houston 97.9’s “The Box,” claiming that Savannah — who was not yet married to LeBron — had been seeing another NBA All-Star. “While drinking with friends, we learned that Rashard Lewis had slept with LeBron’s daughter while visiting South Beach,” the caller claimed, according to Bossip. At the time, Rashard Lewis was just finishing his tenure with the Orlando Magic. Not only did this anonymous source make these claims, but Stephen A. Smith of ESPN added fuel to the fire.
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In June 2011, when the Savannah-Lewis rumors circulated, LeBron had underperformed in the NBA Finals. According to Smith, the Heat forward’s love life had caused problems. “My theory is he has a lot of distractions off the field and obviously that tends to affect his play on the field sometimes,” Smith said during his appearance on “Mike & Mike” from ESPN 2. Smith remained coy and did not outright claim cheating was involved.
Unlike the ESPN personality, Lewis wasn’t afraid to go public with the rumored relationship with Savannah. “(T)hese rumors are 100 percent false, they’re not true, I don’t know how they came about,” Lewis said, calling “The Box” from 97.9 to set the record straight (via Hollywood Life). With wild rumors spreading unsubstantiated, it’s no wonder Savannah decided to stay out of the spotlight for so many years.