LeBron James & Savannah Brinson

It often gets said that behind every successful man, there stands a woman, and in LeBron James’ case, that would be Savannah Brinson. Their wedding in 2013 was grand, with Jay Z and Beyonce even performing for the couple.

Yet, their relationship had humble beginnings, at the time when James was still a rising basketball star in his high school, while Brinson was a softball player and cheerleader from a rival institution. Then, in 2011, the athlete finally proposed to the love of his life after nine years of dating at a New Year’s Eve bash in Paris. During an interview with Oprah Winfrey, the Lakers shooting guard described the proposal as nerve-wracking enough to equal a basketball finals game.