Perhaps it’s being the youngest of LeBron James’ three kids, or being the only daughter, or it could be her outgoing personality, but whatever the reason, Zhuri James has a close connection with her father. “My daughter is the greatest thing in my life, along with my boys,” the Los Angeles Lakers forward told Access in July 2021. “So, whenever she smiles, it don’t matter what I’m doing, it makes me happy.” Before having Zhuri in 2014, LeBron and his wife, Savannah James, had two sons, Bronny James and Bryce James. While the NBA star is close with his older kids, becoming the father of a daughter had a different impact. “I’m one of them and wouldn’t trade it for anything,” LeBron said about being a girl dad during a video segment with the Lakers in March 2024.
That same month, LeBron passed the historic 40,000 career point threshold, and he spoke about experiencing the moment with his daughter in the crowd. “Blew her a kiss, she blew one back to me,” he told the media after the game. LeBron also talked about how fast Zhuri was growing up. “She runs everything, so what Z says goes,” he joked. During the 2023 ESPY Awards, Zhuri showed just how comfortable she was making her presence known to the family. LeBron’s wife and kids were on stage to present an award to him at the event, and Savannah spoke about her husband. “LeBron James is the baddest mother …” she said. Young Z hilariously interrupted and stopped her short of cursing with an aghast “Mom!” Zhuri has also been unafraid to let her dad know when he is being embarrassing.
LeBron James went into sports-dad mode
During the 2024 Paris Olympics, Zhuri James was in France with LeBron James and the rest of their family to support the NBA star while he competed with Team USA’s men’s basketball team. While they were at the Olympics, LeBron took in a volleyball match with his daughter, and he switched into embarrassing dad mode. LeBron was filmed going overboard with his cheering, which involved dancing and pumping his arms into the air. Cameras caught young Zhuri telling him to stop making a scene, and then covering her face in embarrassment.
LeBron has been known to be overly exuberant at volleyball matches, so he was a full-blown proud father when he went to one of Zhuri’s games in October 2023. He posted videos of Zhuri playing volleyball to his Instagram, where he called his daughter by her nickname. “Do your thang, Munchkin, do your thang,” LeBron could be heard saying in a video that showed Zhuri serving an ace. That was not the only time the overly excited dad yelled from the stands. In another vid shared in the post, LeBron continued to cheer on his daughter. “Let’s go, Munchkin!” he shouted. Zhuri paused and turned her head to give LeBron a serious side-eye, which caused Poppa James to burst out in laughter.
Not only has LeBron shown up to Zhuri’s sporting events, but he has even done some training with her. LeBron posted a video of Zhuri using a CLMBR machine to his Instagram Stories in September. “Morning cardio! @allthingszhuri joined,” he wrote alongside the clip, in which he could be heard counting her reps. “It’s tiring,” the youngster said after LeBron suggested she do some more reps. Not only have the pair bonded over athletics, but they’ve even spent time in the kitchen together.
Zhuri James’s lavish playhouse
As an early birthday gift for his daughter in October 2020, LeBron James bought Zhuri James a replica of their house. The mini-house/playhouse was constructed in the family’s backyard and looked startlingly similar to the James family mansion. “So, this is outside the house, and then this little girl has the nerve to have her own house,” LeBron said in a video posted to his Instagram Stories that showed off Zhuri’s lavish gift. The NBA player went inside Zhuri’s playhouse, where he took a seat on a purple couch in the foyer. He had kept his shoes on and tracked in some dirt, so Zhuri immediately grabbed a napkin and started wiping the floor.
For her birthday a couple years later, LeBron posted a carousel of snaps to his Instagram that included multiple photos of the father-daughter combo together, one of which showed them sharing a kiss. “Happy Birthday my beautiful Princess of the Kingdom @allthingszhuri!! Daddy’s Lil Girl,” the proud father gushingly wrote in the caption.
LeBron and Zhuri don’t need special occasions such as birthdays as an excuse to spend time together. The four-time NBA champ was a guest on his daughter’s YouTube channel in January 2020, where they spent time in the kitchen making no-bake energy balls. “Daddy and Z for episode 3!!! [heart emoji] Thank you for letting me be on your YouTube channel,” LeBron tweeted out at the time along with a link to the video.
