LeBron James’ heartfelt essay pays tribute his mom: ‘She’s my champion’

Adversity is a common occurrence for LeBron James in both his personal and professional lives.  But it was sufficient to break the will of any Black child born in the 1980s in the United States.  Homeless and fatherless, James and his 16-year-old single mother roamed the streets of Akron, Ohio, living entirely on government aid.  That was the beginning of the difficult formative years that today's top NBA player had to endure.

After having sex with gangster Anthony McClelland, high school student Gloria Marie James became pregnant.  Then Gloria remembered that their connection was not founded on love but only on satisfying fundamental physiological needs.  As a result, Gloria finds it unbearable to bear even a small amount of McClelland's blood.  The last day of 1984, when tiny LeBron was born, was one of Gloria's coldest winter days ever.  At the time, she was just sixteen years old.

For the first three years, things weren't too bad.  LeBron stays at home with his mother and grandmother while Gloria continues her daily trek to school.  Her two brothers lived together in a large home on Hickory Street in downtown Akron, which was bounded by a railroad crossing and an old road lined with oak trees.  The tragedy began when Gloria's mother, Freda, died of a heart attack on Christmas Day 1987.  A few months ago, the young child's grandmother passed away.  The stability of the entire family is seriously threatened.

Terry and Curt, Gloria's two brothers, put a lot of effort into keeping the house in good condition so that their sister and nephew can reside there.  But soon, the three brothers had nowhere to dwell because of the property's terrible state of disrepair and their inability to cover additional expenses.  Everyone must find a new place to live when there is no one with a stable job.

Gloria took the three-year-old LeBron on a tour of Akron's streets.  They lived at friends' houses.  Each place is only there for a few weeks or even months at a time.  When Gloria was feeling very ill, she would sometimes take LeBron to stay for a few days at her brother Terry's house.  Gloria and her daughter lived off social assistance at this time since she was unable to find a suitable job and could not afford to send her child to daycare.

Later, James described this period harshly, stating, "My asset is a backpack on my back."  "It's time to leave," I generally say to the backpack whenever I have to leave a residence with my mother. "A few households."  In 1993, when LeBron was nine years old, his parents moved twice a month on average.  They sometimes appear in nightly rest places built by churches or in charitable shelters for the poor.

LeBron missed more than a hundred days of school during his fourth grade year due to twelve moves.  The child found his transfer difficult.  He was confused by his new classmates at his new schools.  "He skipped school because he didn't know which bus to take to school," recalled Bruce Kelker, LeBron James's first football coach.