The NBA Finals are a grueling experience. It’s the “last hurrah,” as LeBron James calls it. During this time, everything is heightened. The fans are much more involved, and arenas turn deafening. For the players, even a minute distraction could prove to break their focus. Understanding the enormity of what the NBA Finals means, players would want their loved ones present. However, LeBron James is the opposite. He doesn’t prefer to have his family at every game. As loved ones try to show their support, it could be a difficult truth to deal with. Luckily for James, he never had that problem with his family. In his case, Savannah James never let that be a problem.

“My family has always been understanding of what I wanted to accomplish in my career, you know, and it was never no pullback. It was never no, you know, I need to be there. You don’t want me like it was always, listen, handle your business and when you want us there, we’re there and we’re ready to support,” he revealed on Mind The Game.

Imagine James has been to ten Finals and won four times. But it didn’t matter if it was his first or a marquee matchup against Stephen Curry, LeBron James didn’t change his tradition. It was all part of his preparation. He wanted his focus to remain on what was ahead of him. Anything out of the ordinary happened to be a distraction.

So Savannah James never let that happen. Not only did she never bicker about not wanting his family at the arena. But she even took it upon herself to manage the family and their children while the Akron Hammer focused on advancing in his career. There must have been tough moments when it seemed overwhelming. But while James fought a war on the court, Savannah James did it with those thoughts.

That’s the reason LeBron James is so appreciative of his family. They never came in the way of him trying to reach the pinnacle. But don’t think he thought simply having them there would make him lose focus on the chance of winning a championship. It was the fear of him constantly worrying about their safety that made him take this decision.

LeBron James eliminated every possible distraction

During an NBA Finals run, there are many things the players have to go through. Whether it’s media or just additional time on their hands, the atmosphere is very different. It’s thicker than usual. But once he is on the court, LeBron James is fully dialed in. No amount of discouraging chants or heckling could rattle him.

The only people who could are the family he cherishes deeply. The reason he didn’t want them in attendance, especially on the road, is to avoid any interactions that would force him to break away from flow state.

“I didn’t want my family on the road, you know, during the finals, and I’m trying to focus on not only myself, but carrying my team, making sure my teammates is locked in. And then if something happened in the stands with my family, it could very easily knock me out of my locked-out zone. Now I can’t be as locked in if I want to, because you know, some idiot or whatever, some fan has said something to my wife, or said something to my kids, or said, you know, or my mom is there,” James explained on Mind The Game.

There was just one game during a potential seven-game series where the four-time MVP made an exception. If his family had the chance to see him lift the coveted Larry O’Brien, that’s a moment he wanted to share with them. Then it didn’t matter whether the closeout game was at home or on the road. Envisioning that moment becomes bigger than any feud that may break out in the arena. But aside from that, the rules are clear.

If LeBron James makes it to another NBA Finals, the only family member who will stay by his side all the time is his teammate, Bronny James.