Gone but not forgotten.
One day after the news broke of the tragic death of Grant Wahl, LeBron James took to Twitter to share the positive effect the sports writer had on his life and career.
“You had a huge impact on me and my family and I’m so appreciative of you,” the NBA star tweeted on Dec. 9. “A great person and journalist. Rest In Paradise Grant Wahl.”
Wahl covered James as a high school student and famously authored the Sports Illustrated 2002 cover story “The Chosen One” about the then 16-year-old basketball player from Ohio.
The L.A. Lakers star, now 37, also paid tribute to Wahl at a postgame press conference in Philadelphia Dec. 9. “I’ve always kind of watched from a distance even when I moved up in ranks and became a professional, and he went to a different sport,” he said. “Any time his name would come up, I’ll always think back to me as a teenager and having Grant in our building.”
James added, “It’s a tragic loss.”