Growing up in the Akron, OH area, I was a big fan of LeBron. My grandfather, who worked at a mill, had a coworker who graduated from St. Vincent–St. Mary High School. During a casual conversation, my grandfather mentioned that I was a big fan of LeBron, not realizing his coworker was an alumnus of St. Vincent–St. Mary. The coworker told him he’d have a surprise for him the next day at work.
The following day, he handed my grandfather a yearbook and told him to give it to me. Fifteen years later, I finally decided to authenticate the autograph at the 2025 Nationals in Chicago—and it came back legit! I had my doubts because of how rare it was, but sure enough, it was real. I never got that coworker’s name, but a huge thank you to him!
