Savannah James’ ‘A** Whopping’ Punishment Spared One Child From Bronny, Bryce, & Zhuri

When news of Savannah James and LeBron James‘ third child and only daughter Zhuri hit the news in 2014, her dad had a change of heart: “It’s a lot different, for me, you give rough love to your boys and you give soft love to your daughter.” Little Zhuri has reaped the benefits of being Daddy’s girl ever since. And, it now seems like she has been lucky in more ways than one!

And who else but her mom, Savannah, to spill the beans on that one? In the third episode of Mrs. James’ shiny new podcast, Everybody’s Crazy, she and her co-host, April McDaniel, dive deep into Mom Guilt. One aspect mothers all over the world share seems to be the fact that the younger kids escape the discipline meted out to the older ones. Along similar lines, McDaniel asked, “Did you discipline Bryce, Bronny, and Zhuri differently?”

9-year-old Zhuri’s story looks to be no different.

“Yes, I did. Zhuri ain’t never got a whooping before by me, a day in her life,” Savannah said, laughing.

But how was that in comparison to Bryce and Bronny?

“And the boys, they was pretty good, to be honest. I didn’t hand out many,” she explained. Well, they might have been good boys, but they certainly got “some” whopping! The forms of discipline parents around the world employ are, to an extent, influenced by how they were disciplined as a child. It’s not that different with Savannah, too, it would seem. Her mother used the method of “show enoughs” when disciplining herself and her siblings.

Once, when she questioned why her mother used to say that particular term, her mother had a simple answer. “It was a show enough a** whoop! So, all I had to say was show enough and you straighten up,” the millionaire businesswoman reminisced with a laugh.

Being a mother to a daughter was indeed very different for Savannah. In 2o23 when high school sweethearts Savannah and LeBron embarked upon their 10-year wedding anniversary, The Cut interviewed the matriarch. Watching TV on an ordinary day, Zhuri announced, “Mommy, I want to be just like you … you dress so good and you do your makeup so good and you’re just so cool and you can dance.” Zhuri was just 7 then, and knowing the kind of quantum shift that a mother can bring, Savannah was taken aback.

But the mother of three was quick to point out an interesting take on why she didn’t need to use those disciplinary ways with Zhuri as she did with her elder children.

Zhuri, the gem in Savannah James’ heart!

In a household with three men, their little girl’s birth would’ve been quite a relief for Savannah. And as she grew up, it seemed like her mother was happy to create that girl bond. As such, it also helped little Zhuri escape from any whopping. “To have a conversation with her is the way I prefer to go rather than take any other form of discipline because she gets it,” Vannah said. Despite the popular belief that girls prefer their fathers over mothers, Savannah James has been successful in forging a strong bond with her daughter.

However, Papa James, despite his NBA commitments, grabs every opportunity to spend with his family. Back in 2021, LeBron made a heartwarming ‘dad’ statement, saying, “Whenever she smiles, it don’t matter what I’m doing, it makes me happy.” Zhuri’s evergreen moment with her mother at the ESPYs will go down as one of her cutest moments. Savannah was on stage and while in all praises for LeBron, she appeared to lightheartedly cuss in the flow.

That’s when the young girl interjected and exclaimed, “Mom!” while shaking her head as the audience, including her legendary father, chuckled.

With Bronny declaring for the NBA draft, there’s a chance he’ll be donning a franchise’s colors in a few months. While young Zhuri turns up once in a way to show support for her dad plying his trade with the Lakers, we could now expect to see her more often!

Without a doubt, the James family, apart from its rich public persona, is full of love on the inside!