Akron’s most fashionable couple is sharing what may be one of the city’s favorite love stories.
Savannah and LeBron James are featured in the September issue of Vogue magazine where they share with writer Robert Sullivan their own backstory and a love for the city where they grew up and met.
The article traces the couple’s roots from the tree-lined street where Savannah was raised to the low-income public housing where LeBron spent his 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥hood.
Savannah jokes that LeBron “met” her — she did not meet him.
LeBron in the article recalls the night in 2002 they fell for each other, while he was a star basketball player at St. Vincent-St. Mary and she was a cheerleader at Akron’s Buchtel High School.
LeBron recalled she wore a “black-and-pink two-piece.”
He also told the writer that he made sure to get her home before her curfew.
The article highlights Savannah’s work to help Akron teenage girls navigate their way to graduation from helping them afford prom dresses to peer mentoring with her Women of Our Future initiative.
It also noted LeBron’s work with his namesake foundation that helps Akron school kids not only get good grades but remain on the path to a high school diploma and eventually a college degree from the University of Akron.
The couple talked about their philosophy on parenthood for their own 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren, daughter Zhuri and sons LeBron Jr. and Bryce Maximus.
There’s “no book that can tell you about parenthood,” LeBron told the magazine. “Even your mom, your dad, your grandparents — they can give you pointers, but you have to go along that path on your own because every kid is different; every situation is different.”
He explains that the NBA means he is away from home a lot.
“Me and my wife are different, but at the same time we’re the same,” he said. “I’m gone a lot, so she is the boss of the household; she’s the rule-setter. It’s hard for me to go on the road for two and half weeks and then come home and tell my kids, ‘Look, this is how it should be done’ when she’s been home every day.”
Savannah added she can’t have LeBron coming home and “throwing monkey wrenches in the operation.”
Vogue magazine contributed to this article. Craig Webb can be reached at cwebb@thebeaconjournal.com.
