Savannah James is stepping all the way into the spotlight and lifting the veil of mystique that has largely shrouded her persona as the epitome of a perfect wife to LeBron James.
In what has been viewed as a shocking move by some, the beauty maven has jumped on the podcast trend. March 28 marked the launch of “Everybody’s Crazy,” which she hosts with friend and Crown and Conquer founder April McDaniel.
The girlfriends’ fireside chat show encourages listeners to call in and reveal their name, city, and, most important, their crazy. A teaser clip for the first episode piqued the curiosity of potential listeners as well as drew some criticism.
In the short video, Savannah uses her long nails to tap and caress a rounded mic cover in an ASMR moment. As she giggled at the suggestive hand gestures, McDaniel asked, “Don’t we have to say something?” Savannah responds, “We’ll do that afterwards,” with a smile on her face.
“Aye why was Savannah James touching the mic like that? What did she mean by that?” asked an X user. Another male user, who also perceived the mic play as being sexually charged, commented, “Savannah James knew what she was doing rubbing on that mic like that too smh.”
Savannah James got X promoting her podcast without even saying much but gently clawing at the mic and the sly grin pic.twitter.com/75hr5Si9SD
— Stacks n Snacks ✭ (@All_Cake88) March 28, 2024
“Can’t wait to hear some Gems from the queen,” wrote one person who was eager to tune in. “No more silent Savannah!!!” sound on!!!!” wrote another prospective fan.
But some who are not onboard with the mother of three giving up her spot on the sidelines quipped, “She’s going to ruin the illusion,” seemingly alluding to her being revered as the ideal basketball wife to one of the league’s most iconic players.
In the past, male fans in particular have applauded Savannah for being the pillar of a supportive partner to the star athlete, all the while managing to keep her name attached to salacious headlines and gossip.
In her defense, one person wrote, “Men being upset about Savannah James having a podcast is nasty work. A lot of men really only see women as objects. Saying she will ‘ruin the illusion’ is crazy. She’s a whole human. With opinions and emotions and they don’t have to fit anyone’s ‘illusion.’”
Savannah James is not only the most classiest, gorgeous basketball wife in the game, she is literally perfect. A Black Queen personified
— shawn allen (@defundshawn) March 15, 2023
I don’t know what the other girls had on, but Savannah was absolutely best dressed at the Vanity Fair Oscar party 🎉 pic.twitter.com/jOMiZl7A4X
Someone else hitting back at male critics reminded people, “N—gas saying Savannah James starting a podcast is going to ruin how they perceive her is insane. She’s married to LeBron James, I doubt she gives af about what a bunch of Twitter n—gas think.”
Throughout the Los Angeles Lakers forward’s 21-year career, Savannah has managed to maintain a considerably low profile as a loyal wife and mother to the two sons, Bronny and Bryce, and daughter, Zhuri. However, in the past two or so years, she has ramped up her social media posts, showing off her fashion sense, how she achieves her glam looks, and moments from the red carpet.
In 2023, she gave two publications, Vogue and The Cut, access to her for feature stories, a rare occurrence since she has refrained from interacting with the media for years. While speaking with the latter outlet, she shared that despite taking notice of the public’s newfound interest in her, she did not feel there were any major misconceptions about her that needed to be cleared up.
“I’m not a comment reader because I feel like that is going to put you into a rabbit hole that you don’t want to be in. I don’t think that there are misconceptions about me out there that I would even be inclined to address,” said the former Miami juice bar owner.
The Ohio native also noted that shying away from the public was intentional. “I just really wanted to enjoy being a mom and supporting my husband. I wasn’t super-comfortable with putting myself out like that,” before acknowledging that her time to shine is one she is currently welcoming.
Savannah is not the only one in the James’ household exploring the world of podcasting these days. This month, LeBron and former NBA journeyman JJ Redick kicked off their “Mind the Game” show. The NBA juggernaut was inspired to counter the never-ending comparisons that pit players and different eras of the game against each other.
He is also the co-host and co-creator of the widely successful conversation series “The Shop,” which is in its sixth season on HBO.
