From High School Sweethearts to NBA Legend: LeBron James & Savannah Brinson’s Love Story
This article appeared in sneakertoast.com and has been published here with permission.This Is Where it Started
On the second to last day of the year 1984, a young mother from Akron, Ohio, gave birth to a healthy boy. The young mother, Gloria Marie James, named him her newborn boy LeBron, which roughly translates to “the brown-haired one.”
Unfortunately, Gloria James had to raise that little boy all by herself, with only the help of her mother. But regardless of the absence of a father figure, she raised him to become a person everyone wants to know.
A Single Parent
With her mother’s passing when she was only 19, Gloria had to raise the boy alone, and he was now just over two years old. This meant no more help from anybody, so she had to care for a little boy on her own.
While going from one neighborhood to the next in Akron, finding a job was difficult, so life became quite challenging. This was when she decided that she needed to move to a place where there’d be some stability for her and the boy.
An Unstable Life
While they were living in Akron, they moved around a lot, and often they stayed with friends. This made him change schools regularly, and he lost nearly half of the year while traveling from one place to another.
At this time of his life, he found comfort in sports and started playing pee wee football for the South Side Rangers. This team, where he found sanctuary, was coached by Frank Walker, who decided to look out for the family.
The New Place
When Frank Walker and his wife Pam heard that the young mother was looking for a new place, he made her an offer. So, they moved in with the Walkers and became part of a healthy home environment where a child could grow up.
Frank and his wife asked Gloria to move in with them until she found something permanent for her and her child. This was the best thing that could happen for the little boy who was struggling to find his place in life.
This NBA superstar has many basketball achievements behind his name and is known for many great things. A lot of people consider him to be one of the greatest players of all time, and he’s named in the same breath as prestigious players like Michael Jordan. He’s also the youngest player ever to be drafted into the NBA at the tender age of only 18. This was only the beginning of great things, so let’s take a look at the interesting life of a living legend and his sweetheart, Savannah.