Gloria James and Anthony McClelland, LeBron’s Parents: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

(Getty)

(Getty)

Now, we know LeBron James as the four-time NBA MVP, the 30-year-old superstar who has taken his team to the finals five consecutive years, and one of the best players to ever play the game.

But many years ago, LeBron had to fight through a less-than-ideal upbringing. Here’s a look at everything you need to know about his biological parents, Gloria James and Anthony McClelland.


1. Gloria James Raised LeBron as a Single Parent

(Getty)

(Getty)

Gloria Marie James had LeBron, her only son, when she was only 16. To make matters even more difficult, LeBron’s grandmother suffered a heart attack and passed away when he was only three. He and his mother lost the house they were living in and were forced to move to 12 different places in a span of just three years.

When LeBron was only nine years old, Gloria made the decision to move him in with “Big Frankie” Walker, his pee-wee football coach. He stayed there for a year before moving back in with his mother in a two-bedroom apartment, where he would stay until he finished high school.

“People always say I am devoted to my mother,” LeBron wrote last year. “That’s true, but only because for every minute of my life, she has been devoted to me. My mother taught me what devotion truly means.”


2. Anthony McClelland Has Been Convicted of Arson and Theft Multiple Times

(Instagram/kingjames)

(Instagram/kingjames)

According to an ESPN The Magazine article from 2002, McClelland, who was a “casual sex partner” of Gloria’s and left her after she got pregnant, has been convicted of arson and found guilty of theft at least five times. LeBron has never met McClelland.

A few years ago, a man named Leicester Bryce Stovell filed a lawsuit against LeBron and Gloria, claiming he was the real biological father. A paternity test quickly proved that to be false, however, and James’ lawyers stated that Stovell was “simply delusional.”


3. Gloria James is Dating a Rapper Named Da Real Lambo

(Instagram/dareallambo)

(Instagram/dareallambo)

James, 47, and a Miami-based rapper who goes by the name of Da Real Lambo, 33, have seemingly been dating for a couple of a years.

Simply put, many see the obscure rapper as a bit of a joke, mostly because of the things he posts on Instagram. Among the things he spends his time doing: wearing LeBron’s championship ring on two of his fingers, vacationing with LeBron’s family, and posing in front of cars and other modes of transportation.


4. LeBron Has Attributed His Dad for His Success

(Instagram/kingjames)

(Instagram/kingjames)

In an interview with GQ in 2014, James talked about how he used his dad’s absence as “fuel”:

Like, ‘Wow, Dad, you know what, I don’t know you, I have no idea who you are, but because of you is part of the reason who I am today.’ The fuel that I use—you not being there—it’s part of the reason I grew up to become who I am. It’s part of the reason why I want to be hands-on with my endeavors… So me in a position allowing people around me to grow, that maybe wouldn’t have happened if I had two parents, two sisters, a dog, and a picket fence, you know?

James’ success spans both on and off the court. Married to high school sweetheart Savannah Brinson, he is a father of three, and despite an endlessly busy schedule, he works extremely hard to remain present in their lives.


5. Gloria James Isn’t Afraid to Comfort LeBron During Games

(Getty)

(Getty)

During Game 4 of the 2015 NBA Finals, LeBron went tumbling into the row of cameramen just below the hoop. As a result, he suffered a fairly significant cut on his head and seemed pretty shaken up.

No worries. Mama James to the rescue: