LeBron James and SavannahBrinson have been together for two decades. The Lakers star and his wifehave three children —Bronny, Bryceand Zhuri.
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When did LeBronJames and his wife meet?
LeBronfirst met Savannah in high school.
James was17 years old and a rising basketball star at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio. Brinson was 16 and a cheerleader at a rival high school.James spotted her at a football game and asked a mutual friend to get her phone number.
"I'm like, 'Um, nope. I'll take his number,'" Brinson told Cleveland Magazine. "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.'"
After a few phone conversations,Brinson said James invited her to one of his basketball games, and the two went out with some friends to a local Applebee's. She said their first official date was at an Outback Steakhouse.
Brinson claims she had no idea her high school boyfriend would soon become an NBA star.
"I just thought he'd be a hometown hero for his era and it would be over," she toldHarper's Bazaar. "He was a normal high school senior."
Light High School vibes! #ThekidfromAKRON👑
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2003: James goes pro, Brinsongets pregnant
James was the top pick in the 2003 NBA Draft —selected by hishometown Cavaliers.
During James' rookie year in the NBA, Brinson, who was a senior in high school at the time, discovered she was pregnant.
"I was thinking, 'What am I going to tell my parents? What's going to happen to his career?'" Brinson toldHarper's Bazaar. "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.'"
2004: First child
OnOct.6, 2004, Brinson gave birth to LeBron JamesJr., aka "Bronny."
The rising basketball staris now 15 and afreshmanat Sierra Canyon High School in California.
2007: Second child
Three years after Bronny was born,the couple welcomed another son, Bryce Maximus, who was bornJune 14.
“It keeps me grounded knowing that I’m representing a little guy like that and his big brother,”James said about his sons in an interview with Oprah Winfrey. "My sons are the only reason why I’m still sane. They don’t know if I missed the last three shots to win the game or if I turned the ball over. All they know is they see their daddy coming out the locker room and they ready to play.”
2010: Movingto Miami
James famously announcedhe would besigning with theHeat in free agency instead of returning to the Cavaliers, andBrinson and the children moved to Florida with him.
2011: LeBron and Savannah get married
James popped the question to Brinson during a New Year's Eve partyin France.
"It felt like a Finals game," JamestoldOprah Winfrey about proposing. "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.' Iwas 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."
How long has LeBron James been married?
The couple tied the knot on Sept. 14, 2013, inSan Diego, Calif. Beyoncé and Jay-Z performed "Crazy in Love" at the reception.
2014: Third child
The couple's daughter, Zhuri Nova, was born on Oct.22, 2014.
"I had two boys first, my oldest son, LeBron Jr., and my younger son, Bryce Maximus, and people always told me, 'if you ever have a girl, she'll change you,'"James said, per USA Today. "Three years ago, this bright spot right here happened to our family. And not only did she change me, she's made me a better person. A more dedicated person, a stronger person. I guess a more sensitive person that realized that I have so much more of a responsibility to women in general. So, thank you, Zhuri."
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2014-2017: Return to Cleveland
James re-signed withthe Cavaliers in 2014 and vowed to bring a championshipto the city.
He kept his promisein the 2016 NBA Finals withan upset win over the record-setting Warriors.
Also in 2016, he surprised Brinson with a FerrariTestarossa for her 30th birthday.
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2018: Joining the Lakers
The four-timeNBAMVP agreed to a four-year, $154 million contract to join theLakers on July 1, and the family was once again on the move.
James and Brinson moved into a$23 million mansion in Los Angeles.
No matter what the future holds for James and his NBA career,it's clearthat Brinson will always be by his side.
