PHILADELPHIA — Before the world knew LeBron James, Grant Wahl knew him.
Wahl was a scribe at Sports Illustrated in 2002 when he penned a story that featured an exuberant James – a high school standout at Akron, Ohio’s St. Vincent-St. Mary – on the cover with the teaser “THE CHOSEN ONE.” For much of America, it was their introduction to a basketball phenom who would go on to become one of the most famous athletes in the world.
James still remembered the excitement of being a high school prospect, sitting for his first big story and cover shoot more than two decades ago whenever he thought of Wahl.
“I’m very fond of Grant and having that cover shoot – me being a teenager and him covering that, it was a pretty cool thing,” James said. “Even when I moved up in the ranks and became a professional and he kind of went to a different sport and things of that nature over the years, anytime his name would come up I would always think back to me as a teenager and having Grant in our building down at St. V.”
But on Friday, the memory was summoned by the bitter news that Wahl, 49, had died while covering the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
The details available on Friday night were sparse: The Associated Press reported that Wahl fell back in his seat during the quarterfinal match between Argentina and the Netherlands. While emergency personnel responded quickly, journalists present at his collapse were later told he had died.
Wahl was one of the foremost soccer journalists in the United States, who at the time of his death worked for his own website. His passing sparked an outpouring of messages from U.S. Soccer, FIFA and other clubs and soccer stars throughout the world.
Wahl wrote that he had sought medical assistance earlier in the week and had difficulty breathing and pressure in his chest. Wahl also drew attention – and the ire of Qatari stadium security – by wearing a rainbow-colored shirt to a game in protest of the host nation’s laws restricting the rights of LGBTQ people. Early in the World Cup, Wahl was briefly detained and subsequently released by stadium security. He said FIFA later apologized for the incident.
James was among the prominent figures in position to offer condolences on Friday night – the report of Wahl’s death surfaced during the Lakers’ overtime loss to the Philadelphia 76ers – but he said he would wait until more details of Wahl’s death became available to comment on it. Still, he offered only fond memories and condolences.
“It’s a tragic loss,” James said. “It’s unfortunate to lose someone as great as he was and I wish his family, like I said, the best. And may he rest in paradise.”
