Lebron “King” James has penned a touching essay dedicated to single mothers for The Shriver Report. He says he is honored to provide a glimpse into the reality of everyday lives of single women struggling to raise kids, because it describes his mother to the tee.
In the touching piece, Miami Heat forward James, 29, details the sacrifices his mother Gloria James endured to raise him. He calls her his “champion” for overcoming hardships being a teenage single mother at 16-years-old, making tough decisions for his future and propelling him to be the man he is today.
James’ essay, while highlighting his mother in particular, also manages to detail the challenges women face while commanding a single parent household, instead of steering toward the negatives. He uses the principles of hard work and a determination to win to inspire single mothers around the world. Surely those same principles steered him and the Miami Heat to two NBA championships and two NBA Finals MVP titles.
After losing his grandmother at 3, James and his mother moved around to over a dozen places in less than a year. His mother took a job “anywhere” and “everywhere” to make ends meet. When he was 9, she made the sacrifice to send him to live with a family friend, where he honed his basketball skills while gaining stability. He calls the experience a “gift” for allowing him to sleep in the same bed, stay in the same school, and join his first basketball team.
His mother was able to leverage government assistance with a perseverance to win and raised him until he graduated from high school. He credits her for keeping him off the street and allowing him to follow his ambition of playing basketball professionally. Her influence has left a profound impact on how he raises his sons. He uses her story to encourage youth through through the LeBron James Family Foundation and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
Here’s a touching excerpt from the entire essay available on The Shriver Report:
Everything I know about being loving and caring, and sacrificing and showing up and being present in my children’s lives—I learned all of that from her example.
Gloria James was a working single mother who struggled and got the job done.
And for that, I say, “I love you, Mom. Thank you.”