A global pandemic and the death of a Los Angeles Lakers legend didn’t stop LeBron James and his superb squad from winning the 2020 NBA championship. On Sunday, the team won the title after defeating the Miami Heat in a 106-93 victory.
After the win, while his fellow players expressed their happiness, James took to his phone not to post on social media but to talk to someone there for him far before the fame: his mother, Gloria James, according to People magazine.
In video captured then tweeted by NBA reporter Shams Charania, the 35-year-old can be heard saying, “Everything that you have been through, everything that I’ve seen, it’s nothing that can stop me,” says James to his mother as he lays on the floor in the arena while enjoying a lit cigar.
“Cause this s— right here, this is nothing compared to the s— you had to go through,” he adds. “God is good, God is great. I hope I continue to make you proud, Mom.”
James’ mother raised him as a single mother after giving birth to him at just 16 years old. An only child, he and her have always been close. In the summer, the NBA record-breaker divulged during a press conference that it was difficult being away from his mother during the COVID-19 pandemic, People recounted.
Read More: LeBron James’ More Than A Vote group brings in over 10,000 poll workers
“It’s the first time in my life that I went that long without seeing my mom,” he added, “the only thing that I really missed.”
Now, James has four NBA titles, which put him in a tie with legends like Shaquille O’Neal and Robert Parish for the most NBA titles, and he’s the sole NBA player to ever have won the Finals MVP title with three different teams, the first two as a member of Miami Heat and his third as a Cleveland Cavalier.
Read More: Dwight Howard records emotional video after winning first NBA championship
With their 17th title, the Lakers are also now tied with the Boston Celtics for the most NBA championships in history.
The victory for the team comes just months after retired Lakers icon Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, passed away in January, along with seven others, in a helicopter crash. The Lakers promised to play the 2020 season in his honor.
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture?” Download our newest episodes now! TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku. Download theGrio today!