LeBron James made it clear his family would weigh heavily on where he played this season. But his move to Philadelphia has come at a cost at home. For most of the season, the James family won’t be under one roof, and his wife, Savannah James, is the one keeping it all together.
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Appearing on Baby, This Is Keke Palmer alongside her best friend and business partner, April McDaniel, Savannah was asked about the “crazy” in her life right now. Her answer was simple.
“The crazy in my life is the fact that I have to figure out how to be three places at once,” Savannah said. “That is crazy. I try not to think about it because I’m like, it’s gonna stress me out, and I know it has to happen. But that is crazy.”
Those three places are Los Angeles, New York and Philadelphia. Savannah and their 12-year-old daughter, Zhuri, still live in Los Angeles, where their oldest son, Bronny, plays for the Lakers. LeBron lives in New York, which Savannah called the family’s “hub,” and takes a helicopter to work in Philadelphia.
Their middle son, Bryce, is in his second year at the University of Arizona. After redshirting last season, this is his first chance to play for the Wildcats.
“My son is in school in Tucson, Arizona. So, along with his season, he’s everywhere else. So, trying to plan my life out like that is a little crazy for me right now.”
That’s the struggle. It’s not a problem between family members. It’s that they’re spread across the country, and Savannah has to be there for LeBron’s games, her sons’ seasons and Zhuri’s school life. That means a lot of travel and a lot of planning, so much that she tries not to think about it too much.
When Palmer joked that the scheduling alone sounded like a full-time job, Savannah agreed. She said if one thing goes wrong, her whole day falls apart, and joked that it’s like “Where’s Waldo?” — “Where is Savannah today?”
Still, she’s staying calm. Savannah, who turned 40 in August, said she handles change much better now than she used to.
She even joked about how she would have handled this a few years ago.
“I’m a lot more comfortable with, like, ’cause you say LeBron was going to Philly five years ago, I’d be like, huh? Well, we gotta pack up everything, Zuri. I don’t care how you feel. We— it’s going. You know what I’m saying?”
Savannah has previously admitted the initial hesitation she felt with LeBron joining the Heat in 2010. Back then, Savannah told Harper’s Bazaar that “Miami was not my favorite place.”
This time, it wasn’t just LeBron‘s decision alone, but the family decided not to move. Also, Zhuri had a big say in that.
Savannah said Zhuri was confused about when and if she’d be able to see her father during the season. She was then presented with the opportunity to move to Philadelphia or New York.
However, the 12-year-old preferred to remain in Los Angeles, where she could continue attending school with her friends and playing volleyball with her teammates.
Bronny and Bryce are grown up and following their own paths. However, Zhuri, who has been in LA since preschool, still has a long journey in school.
Hence, the decision to stay in LA made sense, with LeBron against uprooting his daughter’s life. Although the distance has been tough on the family, there have still been some special moments.
Despite being in separate cities, the family has made time for special moments. Zhuri turned 12 on October 22, the night of the Sixers’ home opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers. She spent it courtside with Savannah, and the team put a birthday message for her on the video board. The Sixers then came back from 29 points down to win.
Despite the difficulties in this current arrangement, Savannah and LeBron are both doing their best to make it work. Zhuri’s special birthday celebration shows that there is still space to make it work.