LeBron James Apologized for Taking Wife for Granted on His Journey for Greatness

Striking the perfect balance between work and life can be difficult, even for Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James.

Speaking with teammates Richard Jefferson and Channing Frye on their podcast, Road Trippin' with RJ & Channing (h/t USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt), James said his single-minded focus on his basketball career has caused him at times to take his home life for granted:

"

I am addicted to the process. I'm addicted to the process. It's so funny. I just told my wife the other day, I apologized to her. She was like 'What are you apologizing for?' I said 'Because the journey that I'm on to want to be the greatest to ever play this game or to the point where no one ever forgets what I accomplished, I've at times lost the fact of how important you are to this whole thing. … I want you to understand that along this journey while I'm playing this game there will be times that I lose the fact of how important you and my three kids are—my babies are.'

"

According to Patrick Varone of Harper's Bazaar, LeBron and his wife, Savannah, began dating when Savannah was 16. She told Varone she was unaware LeBron had already built a substantial profile on the hardwood at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio. She then realized the scope of his celebrity after attending one of his games.

The couple wed in 2013 and have three children together. ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin and Brian Windhorst reported their oldest, LeBron Jr., is already receiving scholarship offers from Duke and Kentucky.

In an October 2016 interview with Essence's Charreah K. Jackson, Savannah described herself as LeBron's "support system" and spoke about how she recognized how his commitments both on and off the court demanded a significant chunk of his time. 

"The balance that I create in our house is for his success," she said. "He is very busy and I understand that, and the kids are at the age now that they get it. Being there for him is a huge part of his success."