Answer: Yes
Disclaimer: It is not our role to determine whether or not somebody is a Christian. We just use our discernment based on the evidence we have found on the internet to come to a likely or best-guess answer. Our answers do not actually determine who is or is not a Christian and it is ultimately between the person and God. Not us.
LeBron Raymone James Sr. is one of the most talked about Basketball players in the world. He is regarded as one of the greatest Basketball players of all time, alongside Michael Jordan. The American Basketball player who currently plays for the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA has played professional Basketball for almost 2 decades.
Lebron, who has been nicknamed “King James,” was born in December 1984. Throughout the National Basketball Association’s history, the Basketball star has left a track record of scoring the most points. He has played 10 National Basketball Association finals and has won four Championships.
As an extraordinary talent in Basketball, James who started his Basketball career playing for St. Vincent–St. Mary High School in his hometown, Akron in Ohio, has won many awards and medals and is a four-time National Basketball Association Championships winner. He has also been awarded the Most Valuable Player Award and has won two Olympic gold medals amongst a plethora of awards.
LeBron James has achieved many feats outside his Basketball career. He has been talked about in books, commercials, and documentaries. James who is married to Savannah James is known to partially own Liverpool FC.
Although LeBron James is known to be very vocal about his ideologies, especially about politics and racism, he is not so vocal about his religious beliefs. James has made a few comments about his spirituality making a lot of people think that he is a Christian. This article seeks to answer the question: Is LeBron James a Christian?
Is LeBron James Religious?
James is known to have grown up in a Christian home. He reads his Bible and prays too.
In a recent tweet on Twitter, LeBron Said he was Praying for someone known as Damar Hamlin. He tweeted, “Praying for you kid!!!🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾”.
LeBron James has not been very expressive of his religious beliefs, but it has been reported that he attends Church and visits some churches around Cleveland.
James has not been very outspoken when it comes to religion and some other personal matters, and as such we are not certain if he is religious or not.
Does LeBron James Believe in God?
LeBron James once said in a 2011 tweet that he believes in God.
When he lost the NBA finals to the Dallas Mavericks in 2011, he tweeted that “The Greater Man upstairs knows when it’s my time. Right now isn’t the time.” He was talking about God here.
When he helped the Cleveland Cavaliers win their debut National Basketball Association title in 2016, the Basketball star said:
“I don’t know why we want to take the hardest road. I don’t know why the Man Above gives me the hardest road, but … the Man Above doesn’t put you in situations that you can’t handle. And I just kept that same positive attitude, like, instead of saying, ‘Why me?,’ just saying, ‘This is what He wants me to do.'”
In a tweet he made on his Twitter handle on 3rd January 2023 he tweeted: “Crazy. Karma is a b****.. Gets you every time. It’s not good to wish bad on anybody. God sees everything!”.
He quoted a tweet that said he was going to win 6 points to his opponent’s 0 points. His response was “That’s the plan! God willing”. This tweet shows that he believes that God is the only one who can make him win any game.
Reports have it that when he is praised for his Basketball skills and talents, he dismisses the praises and says that God “the man upstairs” gave him the talents and skills. According to townhall.com, he once made a statement that said, “I’m nowhere near, close to God. The grace of God above, He gave me this athleticism.”
James also thanked God and his wife in a tweet, he also said that he was going to make both of them proud. He said in the tweet on May 17, 2023 “God and Gloria THANK YOU SO MUCH for giving me life! I promise I’ll continue to make both of you proud of me! ❤️❤️🙏🏾 #RandomThoughtThatCrossedMyMental #BeyondBlessed”
He retweeted a post on Twitter made by SportsCenter on January 28, 2022. The post said, “LeBron James is the first player to be named an #NBAAllStar starter 1️⃣8️⃣ years in a row 👑”. On the retweet, James said, “Gloria’s son! God’s Plan! #ThekidfromAKRON👑 #Blessed🙏🏾”
LeBron James’ comments in interviews and social media posts suggest that he believes in God.
Is LeBron James a Christian?
Several reports have it that LeBron James grew up in a Christian home. He has also confirmed that he is a Catholic Christian.
He was raised Catholic and was a student at St. Vincent-St. Mary Catholic High School, one of the Catholic schools in Akron, Ohio.
James has said that he lives a purposeful life. He said this in a Tweet made on his Twitter handle on the 16th of February, 2023. He said, “My life’s more than just basketball… because there’s a whole lot more to life! 🙏🏾 With @LIFEWTR, we’re hoping others go out & find their passion & purpose as I’ve found mine. Because to live a meaningful life requires more!!”
LeBron James has been used to motivate Christians all over the world. In a blog post made on June 21, 2016, after James made this statement:
“I don’t know why we want to take the hardest road. I don’t know why the Man Above gives me the hardest road, but the man above doesn’t put you in situations that you can’t handle. And I just kept that same positive attitude, like, instead of saying, ‘Why me?’ Just saying, ‘This is what He wants me to do.”
In the blog post, David Gray reacted to Lebron’s statement and said:
“Is there anything of value a man or woman of God can learn from this or is it just more worldly wisdom to be discarded? Is this what we teach our children? Can you have anything you want if you set your mind to it and develop the physical attributes to carry it out, especially if that goal is somehow deemed honorable? Looking at the obvious, this is not the hardest road. Lebron James is a grown man making millions of dollars to play a kids’ game. He has not toiled in obscurity and has won multiple honors even as he has taken flak from sportswriters and fans at times. Yet there is something noble in both James’ words and actions that we Southern Baptists and other Christians might well consider: It is time to stop complaining about the situation in which we find ourselves in the world and to pursue our calling”.
Although LeBron James is said to be a Christian and the professional Basketball player has admitted to being a Christian on a few occasions, he has not been so elaborate when it comes to issues about his faith and spirituality.
Is LeBron James Baptized?
LeBron James grew up in a Christian household. He was raised a Catholic and attended a Catholic school known as St. Vincent–St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio which is his hometown. James was Baptized into the Catholic fold as a child.
What did LeBron James say about Jesus?
In a post-game interview in December 2015, when LeBron James was asked about his teammates and how getting them back will improve the Cleveland Cavaliers game, he said:
“When you get your guys back, you prepare just as you prepared before. There’s only one guy ever in the world that everything will be all right when He comes back and that’s Jesus Christ. Other than that, you can’t bank on nobody being OK.”
He further said in the Interview that Jesus is the “everlasting justice, and peace on earth as the Three A’s”. James also claims that the Holy Spirit gave him his talent and skills.
James told his teammate Channing Frye in an interview on the “Road Tripping Podcast” that “There are only three people in this world that can score on me in the post: Shaquille O’Neal in his prime—who else was it? Oh, it’s two. And Jesus Christ.”
LeBron James gathered his teammates to pray when his fellow teammate, Rodney Stuckey suffered a seizure in 2010. James beseeched “our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” to heal and make his teammate recover.
Final Thoughts
As stated earlier, LeBron James is not very expressive when it comes to matters of religion for reasons best known to him but he portrays Christian values. James believes in God and Jesus Christ and has publicly shown acceptance of Christianity. He believes in Jesus as his lord and savior and also believes Jesus is the only one that has the power to heal, and bring peace and justice to people. From what we’ve gathered about Lebron James, his comments in interviews, and social media posts, we opine that Lebron James is a Christian.
Think we were wrong? Write your reasoning in the comments and prove us wrong!