LeBron James is considered one of the greatest basketball players of all time by many. That’s why he is known as “King James.”
He has won four titles in his illustrious career and has four league MVP awards as well under his belt. He is the first player ever to win a championship with three different teams. Moreover, he was named Athlete of the Year by Time Magazine in 2020.
LeBron James was born to Anthony McClelland and Gloria Marie James, who were never married. Today, he is at the peak of his career and has achieved every basketball record in the world, but it wasn’t easy for him at all to get where he is today because of the difficulties he faced in his childhood.
A father is a man with whom you learn from and copy, but it wasn’t the case for LeBron James because his father was absent for most of his childhood. Due to spending most of his time in jail for arson, theft, and other petty crimes. Due to this separation, there was difficulty in having a healthy relationship with his father, Anthony McClelland.
His mother, Marie Gloria Jeans, did all the hard work of upbringing and shaping LeBron James’ life by playing the role of both Father and Mother at the same time.
Let’s find out who exactly Anthony McClelland is and how bad it was for LeBron to miss a father figure from life.
Who is Anthony McClelland?
Anthony McClelland was born in a small town named Akron in Ohio, United States of America, and is a resident. He is an American national of African-American ethnicity. His actual age is unknown to everyone.
LeBron’s Mother, Gloria Marie Jeans, and Anthony McClelland went to the same high school in Akron, Ohio, where he played basketball, proving to be quite talented at the sport.
Anthony and Gloria were in a casual relationship, and Gloria was just 16 years old when she gave birth to LeBron.
Anthony wasn’t a supportive father at all. He wasn’t there for Gloria, his partner, and the mother of his child, LeBron, in her time of need and left her on her own to take care of LeBron. He didn’t take any responsibility for his son.
His mother did all the work of upbringing LeBron as she lived with her mother, Freda James, her grandmother, and two brothers. She had to fend for herself, her son, and her brothers after her grandmother and mother died.
LeBron and his mother had to move from one apartment to another often because his mother, Gloria, struggled to get a stable job to feed her son. Despite all this hardship, she has remained his biggest supporter since day one. She has never left his side.
Anthony McClelland’s Career
There are not many details available about Anthony McClelland’s profession. What’s known is that he took the wrong path from a young age and couldn’t find a stable job, and spent most of his time in jail for various crimes.
LeBron James and Anthony McClelland’s Relationship
After knowing all of this, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Anthony McClelland and LeBron James never had a healthy father-and-son relationship because he left his mother on her own for his bringing and never gave her support of any type.
Now, he doesn’t recall any memories of his father; in fact, he avoids talking about him and doesn’t share the same surname.
Once in 2002, he did try to reconcile with his son, but nothing much came of it.
Aaron McClelland
It is reported that Anthony McClelland has another son aside from LeBron, from another woman. He was born in LeBron’s hometown Akron, Ohio, in 1987 and is named Aaron McClelland.
Just like he did with LeBron’s Mother, he left Aaron’s mother on her own and didn’t take any responsibility at all.
His half-brother Aaron has tried to get in touch with LeBron. Still, it seems the NBA legend isn’t interested at all in bringing his past into his present, and future life. It’s understandable, as, in the past, many people have falsely claimed to be related to him in the hope of getting financial support.
Where is Anthony’s McClelland now?
According to various reports, the NBA legend’s father now lives a quiet and comparatively better life and is maintaining a lowkey profile in Ohio, United States of America.
Social Media Presence
He isn’t present on any of the social media platforms.
In most cases like this, people with a turbulent childhood suffer from a whole host of issues later in life. However, the complete opposite occurred, as all of this early uncertainty fuelled LeBron James to work hard, and push himself toward greatness.
The sheer scale of his sporting achievements so far shows how LeBron flipped his negative upbringing on its head. LeBron has corrected the wrongs of Anthony McClelland through example and has provided his children with everything he lacked in his childhood.
