Vulnerable Savannah James reveals she had to fight a lot in high school: ‘I had to defend myself’

LeBron James’ wife Savannah recently shared that she was involved in a lot of fights in high school, explaining that she had to defend herself.

April McDaniel, her friend and podcast co-host, theorized that Savannah James’ relationship with the basketball star played a role.

“I had to defend myself,” Savannah James said after sharing that she did a lot of fighting in high school. “I had a lot of that. I had girls who didn’t like me and couldn’t tell nobody why they didn’t like me. My whole group of friends, it was tough. It was a lot.”

She did clarify that a lot of the fights she was involved in happened merely because she was being an ally of her friends.

“I do feel like a lot of the fights that I had, it was me bein’ just an ally of my friends,” she said. “I don’t feel like I really fought a fight that was my fight — ’cause I was nice. I feel like I got along with a majority, everybody.”

McDaniel chimed in.

“But I would hate you too if your boyfriend was LeBron James,” McDaniel said. “But not really. I really wouldn’t hate you. … But I feel like, yes. They’re like, ‘Why couldn’t it be me?’ That’s why they was mad at you. … No young women should be fighting.”

LeBron and Savannah James met over two decades ago in high school. In the following years, they built a family and eventually got married. During his entire NBA career, LeBron James has had a relationship that many have admired.

It’s possible that some of Savannah James’ classmates were envious of her relationship, especially since LeBron James was seen as a phenom in high school. He was regarded as such a special talent that the Cleveland Cavaliers selected him directly out of high school with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft.

Roughly 21 years later, LeBron James is still a top talent in the NBA — and he’s still a family man that seems to inspire many people. What’s changed is that he’s now a four-time NBA champion on the floor and billionaire off of it.

Savannah James may have had some difficult times in high school, but one has to imagine that she’s extremely grateful for the life she now shares with her husband and three kids. She’s also in the midst of an exciting new venture, as her podcast with McDaniel is a fresh project that just launched last month.

Meanwhile, LeBron James is in offseason mode after his Los Angeles Lakers bowed out of the 2024 NBA Playoffs in the first round. That likely means more family time in the James household this summer.