Savannah James says she had 'all the boyfriends' before marrying LeBron

Savannah James has never pretended her love story began with fairy-tale perfection. Long before she became one half of one of sports’ most recognizable marriages, she was a teenager figuring things out in real time—awkwardly, imperfectly, and honestly.

On a recent episode of her Everybody’s Crazy podcast, which she co-hosts with April McDaniel, Savannah reflected on her early dating years while responding to a question from a 14-year-old listener seeking advice. Her answer was candid and disarming. At that age, she said, she wasn’t in love or even clear on what dating was supposed to look like.

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“I had all the boyfriends at 14,” Savannah explained. “I had boyfriends and I also had boyfriends that they was friends… It was raggedy and janky. It’s okay. I was 14. I was learning myself.”

That phase didn’t define her—it prepared her. A couple of years later, everything shifted when she crossed paths with LeBron James through mutual friends in Akron, Ohio. Savannah was a sophomore at Buchtel High School. LeBron, already a rising basketball star, attended St. Vincent–St. Mary.

Their early connection was refreshingly ordinary: she went to one of his games, they hung out with friends at Applebee’s, and eventually went on a first official date at Outback Steakhouse.

Savannah has said that it didn’t take long for her to recognize something different about him. In a 2010 interview, she recalled a moment that stuck with her—not a grand gesture, but a thoughtful one. “I knew he loved me when I left my leftovers from dinner in his car,” she said. “He brought them back to me. I think he just wanted another excuse to come and see me.”

The two married in 2013 and are now parents to three children: Bronny, Bryce Maximus, and Zhuri Nova. Over the years, LeBron has been open about the work required to sustain a long-term partnership, especially one that began in adolescence.

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“A relationship is never picture-perfect,” he said. “But if you’re okay with working through the hardships… it will make it all worth it.”