For The Shriver Report’s special series “A Woman’s Nation Pushes Back from the Brink,” LeBron James wrote a sympathetic essay about the dire financial status of American women, focusing on the one in every three who are on the verge of destitution.
“I’m honored to participate in a project that is trying to help single mothers who are struggling to make a living and raise their kids, because that perfectly describes my mother when I was growing up,” he says. “Do you believe LeBron James is a champion?” Gloria James is also a champion. “My champion is her.”
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Gloria became LeBron’s mother at the age of sixteen, and she moved to Akron, Ohio, to live with her mother. When James was three years old, his grandmother died unexpectedly of a myocardial infarction, and they lost their home.
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We migrated twelve times in three years. That was terrifying. Survival was achieved by catching whatever could be caught. My mother tried to make ends meet, working wherever she could find work. Despite the foregoing, I was convinced of one thing: my mother was present to provide me with warmth and stability. She was everything to me; she was both mother and father. She prioritized me above all others. Regardless of the circumstances, I quickly recognized that she prioritized me over everything else. Although I went without numerous possessions, I never felt unimportant or hated for a single moment.
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Finally, at the age of nine, my mother made a significant sacrifice. While she was deciding how to recover her footing, she realized that I needed some security in my life. I needed to stay in one place and feel the stability and care she had experienced growing up in a huge family. As a result, Mom placed me with the family of my pee-wee football coach, “Big Frankie” Walker. “Although it was difficult, I knew it was not about me,” she later told me. It applied to you. “I was compelled to prioritize you.”
Visit The Shriver Report to read the rest of James’ essay and see more contributions from celebrities like Beyonce and Eva Longoria.