Who is Savannah James? All about LeBron James' wife
Savannah James is more than the stereotypical basketball wife.
The 37-year-old hosts a podcast and is mom to the three children she shares with her husband, LeBron James. Their kids are LeBron “Bronny” James, Jr., 19, Bryce Maximus James, 17, and Zhuri Nova James, 9.
The couple started dating in the early 2000s and married in 2013.
While LeBron James has been at the center of much public attention over the years, James is notoriously private. It's only been in recent years that she's began publicly sharing more about herself and her family.
At the height of flagship show "Basketball Wives" in the 2010s and other reality shows like it, James decided not to participate for her own comfort level and to spend time with her family.
“That time, to be honest, was spent pouring into my boys,” she told The Cut in a 2023 cover story when asked about not participating in reality shows.
“I just really wanted to enjoy being a mom and supporting my husband," she said. "I wasn’t super comfortable with putting myself out like that.”
But now, she's co-narrating promo videos for her husband, touring her at-home beauty space and co-managing her daughter's Instagram.
She told Essence in 2023 why she's shifting into the public eye more now.
"I think that when I started having my kids, that was a time in my life that I felt like that was what I wanted to do. I wanted to be a mom and I wanted to sit back, for lack of a better term, and make sure that I was raising kind, respectful, humble human beings," she said.
She added that her kids getting older has opened the door for her to pursue what she wants.
"They have a good grasp of what our family dynamic is and what is expected of them, so I don’t feel like I have to be a helicopter mom per se and I’m able to go out and just act on my passions and to put my foot out into new things that interest me," she said.
She practices self-care
When James gave Allure a tour of her beauty space in 2023, she shouted out some of her self-care practices.
She says daily affirmations to herself.
"I also have affirmations to myself on this mirror, just some things to say to myself daily. I am loved. I must be true to myself. I am strong. I am capable, just things to keep me going throughout the day," she said.
She takes her skin care seriously.
"I am obsessed with skincare. I am a skin care junkie. I just think it's one of the parts of my self-care routine that is a non-negotiable," she said.
She also relaxes in the bath tub regularly.
"I take probably five or six baths a week. It's the best thing in the world. I go through bags and bags and bags of Epson salt. Usually my kids and my husband know that if they can't find me, this is where I am," she said, gesturing to her tub.
She has four siblings
James grew up in Akron, Ohio, and is the youngest of five children born to Jennifer Brinson and SK Brinson. Her siblings are Jerrold Brinson, Eric Brinson, Deidre Norris and Shannon Wallace.
She initially 'forgot' she had LeBron James' phone number
She went to Buchtel High School, a rival of LeBron James' school, St. Vincent-St. Mary, Cleveland Magazine reported in 2017. She told the outlet that a mutual friend transferred from James' school to hers and relayed the message that the budding basketball star asked for her number.
“I’m like, ‘Um, nope. I’ll take his number,’ ” she recalled, saying she didn't know much about him at the time.
“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,' ” she said.
He invited her to one of his games and to dinner with a group of friends afterwards, she said, and then they went on their first solo date.
She knew in two dates that LeBron James was the one
When asked when she knew LeBron James "was the one," James recalled their first two solo dates.
Their first one-on-one date was at Outback Steakhouse, James told The Cut.
"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. OK, bring my food,'” she said.
Their second date was spending a snow day together in Akron.
"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," she said.
She hosts a podcast
James launched podcast "Everybody's Crazy" with her friend and co-host, April McDaniel, in April. The show focuses on “embracing the chaos with humor and new perspectives,” a description for their first episode reads.
She parents as 'a realist'
James described her parenting style as "realist" to Cleveland Magazine.
She teaches her kids that “people aren’t always going to be on your side or going to support you,” and prioritizes responsibility, honesty, trustworthiness and academic excellence, she said.
“They’re not rewarded for mediocrity,” she said. “I believe that my kids can do anything they put their minds to."
She has also raised them as the same "normal people" that her and LeBron James grew up as.
"We are just normal people from Northeast Ohio,” she said. “You can look at it as a very good thing, because maybe we don’t understand what we could be. But to me, that’s much more stressful — it takes much more energy rather than just being yourself. And I feel like that’s definitely rubbed off on our kids.”
She likes horror movies
In her 2023 cover story with The Cut, James said her family's daily routine often ends with watching a horror movie together.
"By the time everyone is home, we’re all chilling; we’ll have dinner, we’ll watch a movie. We love horror movies as a family," she said.
"It’s just entertainment to us," she said. "I know that’s so weird and dark to say, but we love horror movies and we love watching them together. And I usually figure it out within the first 15 minutes, and I’m like, 'This is the killer. This is what’s going to happen.' Usually, I’m right. Pat myself on the back for that. I do really good."
She said 2023 was a breakthrough year
James told The Cut that 2023 was the year that she learned more about herself.
"I’ve gone to therapy — anything just to find out more about myself and the way that my brain functions in certain situations," she said.
She said as she gets older, she is prioritizing her health more.
"I am a woman getting to a certain age and I need to be aging like the most amazing 19-whatever vintage wine on the market," she said. "I took a super heavy intention with my health, moving my body, doing things that may sound weird, juicing for three months."
The three-month detox cleared her mind, she added.
"I went on a detox program. I enjoyed it. I felt like I was able to tap into meditation, and my mind was much clearer. I was able to make decisions that I feel like I might have been kind of wavering with had I not done it. It felt spiritual," she said.
She sees herself in her daughter
James had sons Bronny and Bryce 10 years and 7 years before having Zhuri in 2014, respectively.
Having her first girl brought a new perspective to kids watching their parents' "every freaking move," James told The Cut.
"It’s very different. Maybe last year sometime, we were sitting watching TV and having a conversation and all of a sudden she says, 'Mommy, I want to be just like you … you dress so good and you do your makeup so good and you’re just so cool and you can dance …' It was all the things that were appealing to a 7-year-old at the time. It scared me, to be very honest," she said.
Knowing that Zhuri was keeping tabs on her reinforced the self work James had been doing, she said.
"I was already kind of in a place of working on myself; in the last four years, I’ve been on this intentional journey of being a better woman. So a part of me, when she said that, I was scared, but then I was kind of like, 'OK, well, I’m onto something.' We just got to keep it moving in a positive direction."
She said the goal is that Zhuri will still want to be like her in the years to come.
"I’m just hoping that with all of the decisions that I’m making and the things that she’s seeing, when she’s 14, she’s still saying she wants to be like me. I try to pour into her every single day. As far as my inner child, I feel like I was like her," she said.
She had philanthropic initiatives
James is active with the LeBron James Family Foundation.
She launched her Women of our Future initiative in 2017 to mentor young women in Akron using research-based and volunteer-driven interventions, the foundation reported.
“Having grown up in Akron, I know what it’s like to face insecurities, to second guess myself," she said at the time. "Like every young teenage girl, I’ve had those moments of doubt."
In 2013, she hosted her inaugural I Promise Makeover, providing high school senior girls with their choice of a prom dress and accessories, the NBA reported.
“Those four years of high school are such a formidable time in young ladies’ lives. I wanted to do something to not only make them feel special, but to also give them confidence and encouragement to continue being the strong, smart young women they are,” she said.
“This event allows me to really connect, empower, and celebrate girls who are about to embark on new life experiences," she said. "I just always want to cheerlead young girls into that next phase. The event also lets me share my passion for fashion and commitment to living a healthy lifestyle with them.”
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
