The James household hit another major milestone this week, and this one had nothing to do with basketball. While LeBron prepares for training camp with a brand new team, Bronny gears up for his first season without his father as a teammate, and Bryce continues to thrive out in Arizona, the youngest member of the family marked a milestone of her own. LeBron and his wife, Savannah, celebrated Zhuri Nova James stepping into middle school, as their only daughter and youngest child embarked on her first day of 6th grade.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
Both parents took to social media to share emotional messages about the moment, capturing the proud yet bittersweet reality of watching their 11-year-old grow up right before their eyes.
“The girl started 6th grade today… Am I okay? Not really🥴Did I cry about it? Yes🥹 Am I so proud of her and excited to see her continue to grow into an amazing young woman? Absolutely 💯 Go be great Baby!! ✨✨✨✨✨✨,” Savannah captioned her post.
LeBron reshared Savannah’s heartfelt message on his Instagram stories before penning a devoted message to his youngest child, affectionately calling her “mama face.”
“My Baby Z first day of 6th grade today! Man o Man!! Ammo is fully loaded and I ain’t playing about my Princess 👸🏾 😤 LOL. 😱😍😍😍,” the NBA legend wrote in an Instagram post. “Have a wonderful school year mama face, have fun and continue to be YOU! It’s always ENOUGH! Love you 🤎🤎🤎🤎.”
Along with the traditional portraits at home, LeBron also took his Baby Z to school and shared the cute moments on their car rides, including Zhuri’s fly nails.
Along with his social media post, LeBron shared a lighthearted video on his Instagram stories. Dressed in a cozy brown hoodie and a baseball cap, the four-time NBA champion recorded himself listening to the classic hip-hop track “Phone Tap” by AZ featuring Nature and Dr. Dre. What made the moment truly special was Zhuri, who was shimmying and singing along to the lyrics of a song that released 17 years before she was born.
Even Bron was caught off guard. He added a caption over the video expressing his delight and surprise at Zhuri unexpectedly knowing every word: “She really knew the song though! I was like WHAT! lol.” It was the kind of unscripted family moment that no amount of planning could produce.
It turns out big brother Bronny was riding along in a separate car, because he jumped on the moment too, posting a hilarious Story of LeBron’s car sitting in traffic while calling his dad out.
For fans, watching King James show off the funny dad moment during an otherwise emotional morning was heartwarming after a dramatic NBA offseason.
LeBron and Savannah James’ two older sons have transitioned into basketball careers, with Bronny entering his third NBA season with the Los Angeles Lakers and Bryce playing college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats. Meanwhile, LeBron’s just signed a two-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers after leaving the Lakers.
According to some reports, while Savannah and Zhuri will remain in the LA home, LeBron’s reportedly going to stay in New York and commute to the New Jersey practice facility and Philadelphia arena. If reports are to be believed, by helicopter.
He’s also been having unofficial workouts with Jaylen Brown, Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe in LA. Meanwhile, Bronny just returned from Slovenia after a viral Lakers mini-camp hosted by Luka Doncic.
For LeBron and Savannah, watching Zhuri step into middle school carries a unique sentiment as the youngest of their trio. These car rides are about to be few and far between with Bron living across the country for the next few months.