Late Sunday night LeBron James picked up his fourth NBA title and his fourth Finals MVP.
Then he picked up his phone, and called his mom.
With the bulk of his 6-foot-9-inch frame resting comfortably on the floor of a hallway inside the NBA’s Orlando, Florida, bubble, and while puffing on a Red Auerbach-style victory stogie, James FaceTimed his mother Gloria, and recounted their journey.
“Everything that you had been through, everything that I’ve seen, there’s nothing that can stop me,” James shared with Gloria, who raised him as a teen in Akron, Ohio. The heartwarming maternal moment was captured by a handful of NBA journalists, including Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, as well as The Washington Post’s Ben Golliver.
Gloria James gave birth to her son as a 16-year-old single mother in 1984, and LeBron’s father has never been involved in his NBA star son’s life.
“I hope I continue to make you proud, mom,” said James, who becomes the first player in league history to capture NBA Finals MVP’s with three different teams. The 17-year NBA veteran previously earned the honor with the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013, and then again with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016.
James’ four Finals MVP’s trail only Michael Jordan, who boasts six.
