LeBron’s biological father is a man named Anthony McClelland, and he has an interesting backstory, to say the least. McClelland is believed to have had a casual relationship with Gloria James, which led to the birth of LeBron.

After LeBron was born, McClelland was out of the picture, spending a lot of time in prison for various reasons, including arson and theft. To this day, LeBron has never met Anthony McClelland, and I doubt he ever will, as LeBron hasn’t needed him this far into his life.

It’s been said that McClelland tried to reconnect with LeBron in 2002, but LeBron declined. At this time, LeBron was starting to get the hype of being the next great basketball player, so it’s pretty obvious why McClelland would now want to be a part of LeBron’s life.

So, we know McClelland has a criminal background, but there’s apparently more to his story. The question that has to be asked now is: Who Is Anthony McClelland?

Who Is Anthony McClelland?

Anthony McClelland is believed to be LeBron James’ biological father, even though others have claimed they are his father. This includes a man named Leicester Bryce Stovell, who sued LeBron over being his father. Of course, the DNA test proved Stovell was not LeBron’s father.

Now, when it comes to Anthony McClelland, there’s some mystery around him, as he’s apparently been known by another name. Roland Bivens is a name that’s been mentioned to possibly be LeBron’s father.

It’s been reported that Bivens was killed in a drive-by shooting in 1994. There have been claims that not only was Bivens not killed, but Bivens is McClelland, and he changed his name to Anthony McClelland to escape jail time.

It hasn’t been confirmed if this story is true. Either way, if it’s Bivens or McClelland, or if they’re the same person, they were not present in LeBron’s life.

LeBron always felt resentment toward his father, but in 2014, he sent a message to McClelland on Instagram, expressing his gratitude for not having him around.

“Like, ‘Wow, Dad, you know what, I don’t know you, I have no idea who you are, but because of you is part of the reason who I am today.’ The fuel that I use—you not being there—it’s part of the reason I grew up to become who I am. It’s part of the reason why I want to be hands-on with my endeavors… So me in a position allowing people around me to grow, that maybe wouldn’t have happened if I had two parents, two sisters, a dog, and a picket fence, you know?”

This quote LeBron shared on his Instagram photo is touching. It shows that LeBron, even though he may still be upset that he grew up without a father, knows that he wouldn’t be the man he is today without growing up in that situation.

So, by knowing how LeBron James feels about his biological father and knowing that LeBron has no interest in meeting the man, there’s only one thing left to do. That’s to dive deeper into finding out who Anthony McClelland is.

From what we know, McClelland attended the same high school in Akron, Ohio, with LeBron’s mother, and that’s when they developed a casual relationship. It’s been said that McClelland was known to play basketball in the neighborhood.

There’s even a famous photo of McClelland in a basketball uniform where he looks strikingly like LeBron.

Today, LeBron James is a great father of three to his wife, Savannah James. LeBron even has a plan to play alongside not only his oldest son, LeBron “Bronny” James Jr. but also his younger son, Bryce Maximus James, in the NBA.

This would be great to see LeBron playing alongside his two sons in the NBA. It may or may not happen, but what is truly great to see is how great of a dad LeBron James has turned out to be.