LeBron James Bids Farewell to Close Ones After Planning Offseason Activity Without Savannah James

What do you do when you’re LeBron James, and your offseason turns into a mix of weddings, golf swings, and subtle absences? You post it all on Instagram, of course, six slides that looked more like chapters of a short story than a simple photo dump. A selfie here, a Louis Vuitton item there, a swing on the golf course, a wedding finale… you know the works. Classic LeBron, isn’t it? Controlled, but open-ended enough to spark questions. Especially when Savannah James, usually his anchor in public moments, was missing.

On Tuesday, LeBron dropped six posts in one scroll. The first shot was a star-studded selfie featuring him alongside Draymond Green, Kevin Love, and longtime business partner Paul Rivera. Slide two? A group photo on the golf course, this time with David Creech, Randy Mims, Rivera, and LeBron himself. Then came the fashion statement, as James posed in a Louis Vuitton double-breasted wool jacquard blazer in beige kangaroo. A quick swipe led to a video of LeBron working on his golf swing, followed by a still photo of the course itself, complete with a lone white flag waving in the frame.

But the finale had nothing to do with hoops or golf. Instead, it featured Andrew Forbes and his wife being lifted in chairs during their wedding celebration, a nod to tradition and a celebration of joy. His caption sealed the whole celebration together: “Great people always = Great Times & Vibes… Until next time 🫡👑” But amid the joy, the question weirdly lingered around. Where was Savannah James?

Over the last weekend, she’d posted her own glimpse. A clip from Pilates training with no flares or marketing spins. Just movement and strength, to say the least. For someone often framed as the glamorous matriarch of the James family, this was different. It was stripped back. Purposeful, even. A separate rhythm entirely from LeBron’s public-facing offseason. And this duality? It matters.

LeBron’s offseason has been outward with appearances, events and… a little bit of commentary here and there. So much so, he’s been seen at Steph Curry’s Underrated Golf event, joked about by Curry himself, and even side-eyed by Jayson Tatum for his mechanics. But golf isn’t just a hobby anymore. For LeBron, it’s a brand extension and maybe another lane in a career built on versatility. Savannah, for her part, has been inward with Pilates sessions, podcast relaunches, and rebuilding strength on her terms. It’s the contrast of spotlight and shadow, and both deliberate in their own ways. But as one would predict, while Savannah builds quietly, LeBron talks loudly.

LeBron remains a king everywhere he goes

On the Mind the Game podcast, he floated an idea that shook NBA traditionalists: cut games from 48 minutes to 40. A tweak that sounds small but would fundamentally change urgency and strategy. “The 40-minute game is intriguing… it gives it a little bit more of a sense of urgency,” he said. For someone who has logged over 59,000 career minutes, the most in league history, it sounds less like a suggestion and more like a survival tactic.

Because LeBron knows longevity better than anyone. His 23rd NBA season isn’t about chasing relevance. It’s about managing energy, extending windows, and well… making sure his voice still holds weight in a locker room that suddenly feels less like his and more like Luka Doncic’s experiment. Because that’s the other subplot here: power dynamics in Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles Lakers’ offseason added Deandre Ayton, yes, but it carried Luka’s fingerprints. Doncic pushed for Ayton and made him part of his blueprint. A 2-year, $16.2 million “prove-it” contract later, the Lakers are essentially betting on Luka’s vision. That shifts gravity. LeBron is used to being the gravitational force, the one pulling strings. But Ayton, Reaves, Bronny, and even Luka himself are moving pieces LeBron must now navigate rather than dictate.

For Ayton, it’s high stakes. Ranked just 30th among big men by The Athletic, he enters L.A. as both a reclamation project and a referendum on Doncic’s pull. If Ayton thrives, Luka looks like a visionary architect. If he falters, the blame circles back. And LeBron, ever calculating, knows how those narratives bleed into legacies. Which brings us back to the carousel.

Because for LeBron James, these slides weren’t random. They were curated snapshots of a man balancing roles of teammate, businessman, family figure, and cultural mainstay. Every image sent a signal. And every absence, including Savannah’s, raised new questions. LeBron’s offseason is about resets. Some play out on the fairway. Some play out in the Pilates studio. And some, we’ll only see when the season tips off and the power balance in L.A. is tested in real time.