LeBron James. ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA
LeBron James gave one young Lakers fan a memory she’ll cherish for a lifetime.
During the first quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers’ game against the Miami Heat on Wednesday, January 15, James, 40, acknowledged a girl sitting courtside in one of his No. 23 jerseys. The girl was overcome with emotion after being spotted by James — which the NBA icon found out about after checking his phone during the game.
“A family friend sent me the clip at halftime,” James told reporters after the game. “Thank goodness that I actually looked at my phone at halftime or I wouldn’t have even seen the reaction when I waved to her in the first half. I waved to her and got back to play.”
After the game was over, James made his way over to the fan and took a picture with her with his arm wrapped around her shoulder.
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“To have that type of connection with someone where they can have that type of reaction, that’s what it’s all about,” James continued. “I’ve always tried to be a role model and someone that kids can look up to. Men, women, whatever the case might be. Try and make them proud if they come see me play, or if they’re not able to see me play, hopefully some of the things I do off the floor continue to inspire them.”
James added, “That was a super dope moment. I have a little girl myself back home.“
The Lakers star shares daughter, Zhuri, 10, with his wife, Savannah James. The couple also share sons Bronny, 20, and Bryce, 17.
It has been a heavy couple of weeks for James, the Lakers and the city of Los Angeles in the wake of the wildfires that have ravaged large parts of southern California.
“I have a couple of dear friends that have lost their homes in the [Pacific] Palisades,” James said after the game on Wednesday. “Obviously, my heart goes out to all of the families, all across not only the Palisades, but all across L.A. County and all the surrounding areas because of the fire.”
James added, “It’s been a lot of emotions. Kind of been off. Personally, I’ve been off. I’ve just been completely off for obvious reasons, but hopefully things are contained or continue to be contained. And hopefully, at some point, we can start to push forward and move forward and put it behind us and rebuild our city, rebuild this beautiful city.”
The tragic wildfires that have engulfed large parts of southern California have greatly impacted the sports world and prominent members of the sports community. Since a fire first sparked in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Tuesday, January 7, more than 17,000 acres have been burned. Subsequent fires in the region have burned […]
Lakers head coach, JJ Redick, was one of those directly impacted, losing his family’s home in the Palisades neighborhood.
“I went through most of the village and it’s all gone, and I don’t think you can ever prepare yourself for something like that,” Redick, 40, told reporters on Friday, January 10. “Our home is gone.”
Redick continued, “We were renting for the year to try to figure out where we wanted to be long-term. Everything we owned that was of any importance to us, almost 20 years together as a couple and 10 years of parenting, was in that house. There’s certain things that you can’t replace, that will never be replaced.”
The rookie coach shared the home with his wife, Chelsea Redick, and their two sons: Knox, 10, and Kai, 8.
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