The origins of Savannah and LeBron James’ love story are deeply rooted in their hometown of Akron, Ohio, but the next time they return home, the city will be missing a place full of nostalgia for the high school sweethearts.
Savannah shared in her Feb. 29 Instagram Story a post announcing the closing of the city’s lone Outback Steakhouse. At first glance, it may not seem like much of a big deal, but for the couple, it was the location that set them on a path of lifetime partnership.
“Noooooo @kingjames!!! Our first date memories,” she wrote. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar reposted it along with, “OMFG!!!!!!! Why why why.”
The chain restaurant offering patrons “Aussie hospitality” was located along Montrose West Avenue and had been in business for three decades. “Closing a restaurant is never easy. This was a business decision that is not a reflection of the management or staff,” said the restaurant in a statement obtained by Fox 8.
“We appreciate the community’s support over the past 30 years and hope to see you at our Macedonia or Cuyahoga Falls locations.” Founded in Tampa, Florida, in 1987, Outback Steakhouse is among the food establishments under the Blooming Brands umbrella.
“We periodically review our asset base and, in our latest review, we made the decision to close 41 underperforming locations,” said David Deno, CEO of Bloomin’ Brands. “The majority of these restaurants were older assets with leases from the ’90s and early 2000s.” The widespread closures were announced on Feb. 23.
The NBA player’s fans were almost as devastated as he and Savannah by the unfortunate news, though som beleive it should be an “Akron OH landmark.”
In the comments of the Oh.Chips’ post about the shuttered establishment, one Instagram user wrote, “You can’t tear down LeOutback!!!” A second person commented, “Omw to Akron rn to protect my kings first date and the beginning of the James family legacy.”
“Lebron took Savannah to Outback but y’all too good for Cheesecake Factory,” read a third reaction on X.
LeBron James and his now-wife, Savannah Brinson, were high school sweethearts. James had seen her at a rival high school football game, where Brinson was a cheerleader. They attended prom while James was in his rookie season. pic.twitter.com/gdHAS1Lais
— Iona Boyd Carpenter/ IN CARE OF JAMES BOYD- (DAD) (@IonaCarpenter14) July 6, 2022
In her first interview with a major publication, Savannah told Harper’s Bazaar about meeting LeBron when she was 16 and he was 17 at a football game. The high school phenom invited her to one of his basketball games; only then did she realize that he was a big deal around town. She told the magazine in the 2010 chat that their first date at Outback Steakhouse consisted of a “basic” conversation.
But what happened after their time together signaled that something special was beginning to blossom. “I knew he loved me when I left my leftovers from dinner in his car. I’d totally forgotten about them, and he brought them to me. I think he just wanted another excuse to come and see me,” said the then-25-year-old mother of two, sons LeBron Jr., whom she was pregnant with when a then-NBA rookie LeBron attended her senior prom, and Bryce.
They have been inseparable ever since. At that time, they had been together just shy of a decade, were parents twice over, and just relocated to Miami, where LeBron joined the Heat. Savannah said she was in no rush to get married and had not been pressuring her longtime boyfriend to pop the big question. He would later propose at a New Year’s party in 2012.
“This is the lady and the woman I have been with through all the good and all the bad. She’s been there for a long time and I wanted her to continue to be there with me,’ so I felt like at that moment it was time,” LeBron told Oprah Winfrey about the relationship milestone. They married the following year and welcomed their third child, a daughter named Zhuri, in 2014.
Still going strong into his 21st NBA season, the Los Angeles Lakers player, who was drafted at 18, reached 40,000 career points in Saturday’s game against the Denver Nuggets. Zhuri and his wife, Savannah were there to cheer him on as the first and only player in history to break this record.
