LeBron James Opens Up About His Father With Heartbreaking Letter

LeBron James was not always popular. He is just that “kid from Akron,” remember? Well, that’s how LeBron likes to call himself once in a while. LeBron was raised by a single mother, and Gloria struggled a lot to help him grow into King James. Unfortunately, LeBron did not have a father figure in his life.

His father, Anthony, was never around and had a long criminal record.

LeBron posted a pic on his Instagram account, and wrote a message for his father. “Because of you Pops! Thanks all along. Could have said ‘Why me?’ with (you) not being there, but look what I made of myself,” he wrote.

View this post on Instagram

Because of you Pops! Thanks all along. Could have said why me with u not being there but look what I made of myself. Thanks to Huffington Post for the graphic. #StriveForGreatness

A post shared by LeBron James (@kingjames) on Feb 19, 2014 at 6:09pm PST

In one of his interviews, LeBron talked about his parents.

“When I was 9 years old, my mother made a supreme sacrifice. She decided that while she was figuring out how to get on her feet, I needed some stability in my life. I needed to stay in one place and experience the support and security that she had felt growing up in a big family. So she sent me to live with my pee-wee football team coach, ‘Big Frankie’ Walker, and his family. She later said to me, ‘It was hard, but I knew it was not about me. It was about you. I had to put you first,'” the king of basketball said.

“People always say I am devoted to my mother. That’s true, but only because for every minute of my life, she has been devoted to me. My mother taught me what devotion truly means. I have tried to pass along her example by helping kids who are growing up in single-parent homes through the LeBron James Family Foundation and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.”

LeBron is one of the greatest basketball stars at the moment despite his sad childhood.