American track and field star Chari Hawkins experienced a heartwarming full-circle moment at the 2024 Paris Olympics, rekindling a memory from her youth involving NBA superstar LeBron James. Hawkins, who is making her Olympic debut in the heptathlon, shared her touching story about meeting James for the second time, 22 years after their first encounter.
Hawkins first met James in 2002, when she was just 11 years old. At the time, James was a high school basketball sensation at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, on his way to becoming the No. 1 pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. Hawkins, a middle school student, had the opportunity to meet James at a basketball tournament where her father was coaching.
“This is me when I was in middle school, and LeBron James was in high school. He was the no. 1 recruit … My dad was a basketball coach. I went up to him (at a tournament) – he was on the phone, I was like, ‘Excuse me, can I take a picture?’ He was literally so nice, he was like ‘Of course!’ and he took a photo with me and then he resumed his phone call,” Hawkins said in a video shared on social media.
Fast forward to 2024, Hawkins brought that photo to show James during the Olympic opening ceremony.
“When we took this picture, you better believe I had this other photo ready to go and I said I have to show you something. He took my phone out of my hand, and was like ‘No way.’ Literally, He has been incredible since he was 17 years old. He is still so incredible. I wasn’t expecting him to be so kind about it. It was honestly really cool, it was such a full-circle moment from when I was just a little kid who idolized him,” Hawkins said.
Hawkins’ athletic journey is equally impressive. A three-sport athlete in high school, she excelled in track and field, basketball and volleyball before attending Utah State. There, she earned second-team All-American honors in each of her final three seasons on the track and field team. At the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in June, Hawkins secured her spot in the Paris Games with a total of 6,456 points in the heptathlon, ranking second behind Anna Hall (h/t Adam Wells of Bleacher Report).
Hawkins set personal bests in the shot put, javelin, and 800 meters during the trials.. The women’s heptathlon at the Paris Olympics is scheduled for Aug. 8-9.
James, who served as the U.S. flag bearer at the Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony alongside tennis star Coco Gauff, continues to be one of the most prominent figures in sports. The U.S. men's basketball team, with James leading the charge, is playing Serbia on Sunday.
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