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.
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.
First Introduction to Sports
A great opportunity was given to LeBron by Frank, who was the coach of the youth football team. When he was still in fourth grade, he joined the team and became friends and teammates with Frank Walker Jr.
This was a great way for the energetic young boy to find his feet and become part of a team. Becoming part of something that meant a lot to him was only the beginning of a new era in his life.
What Changed
When LeBron James was nine years old, he was introduced to basketball by his coach and mentor, and that changed everything. After his first taste of basketball, there was no stopping this young player, and he played whenever he could.
His first introduction was joining the first rec-league basketball team, the Summit Lake Community Center Hornets. This was where he belonged, James was in his element now, and things just started happening for this young athlete.
Shooting Star
Just one year after joining the team of Frank Walker, LeBron James joined the Shooting Stars basketball team. This was a traveling youth league basketball team and was part of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) from Northeast Ohio.
This team became both a local and national hit and showed that LeBron was an exceptional player. Life was becoming great for the young boy who had recently struggled to stay ahead with his schoolwork.
The Fab Four
It was playing for this team that LeBron and three of his teammates became known as the Fabulous Four. They were LeBron James, Sian Cotton, Willie McGee, and Dru Joyce, who led their basketball team.
These four also became best friends off the court and ended up in the same high school after a mutual decision. They all chose to attend the private school, St. Vincent-St. Mary high school.
How They Came Together
While LeBon was playing in the Summit Lake community team, Dru Joyce or Little Dru was playing at the Ed Davis Community Center team. They practiced together at the Salvation Army gym and soon started playing together in the traveling Youth League team.
Cotton, who was a football and baseball player, was persuaded to play basketball and joined them soon after. When McGee moved from Chicago to live with his older brother, he joined their team. With the addition of McGee, the group was complete.
