What Happened to the Other Members of LeBron James’ ‘Fab Five’?
Whether you believe he’s the GOAT or not, LeBron James is easily one of the greatest players in NBA history. There’s simply no getting around that.
But James’ history of excellence extends all the back to his pre-NBA days when he and his teammates, known as the “Fab Five,” not to be confused with the famed Michigan recruiting class in the early ’90s, won several state titles in Ohio in the early 2000s, the last of which came during LeBron’s senior year in 2003.
In fact, their story was so compelling that it was the subject of a highly-successful documentary, 2008’s More Than a Game, and a full-length feature film, Shooting Stars, which was released in 2023.
While none of James’ St. Vincent-St. Mary teammates made it to the NBA, all of them have enjoyed success in their respective life paths over the last two decades. Here’s a closer look at what has happened to each of them since their high school days.
Dru Joyce III
Dru Joyce III was the starting point guard for the “Fab Five” in 2003. The son of St. Vincent-St. Mary’s head coach, Dru Joyce II (the gym at LeBron James Arena at the school is named in his honor), Joyce III spent four years attending the University of Akron, where he set the school’s all-time record for assists.
Following college, the six-foot guard went on to enjoy a long professional basketball career playing in Europe — specifically in Germany. Over the course of his 12-year career, Joyce set the all-time assists record in Basketball Bundesliga, which has since been broken.
His playing days ended in 2019, at which point he took an assistant coaching position at Cleveland State University, where he remained until 2022. Joyce is currently an associate head coach at Duquesne.
Sian Cotton
Personally recruited by LeBron James due to his size, Sian Cotton was one of St. Vincent-St. Mary’s big men and a key defensive stalwart.
After high school, Cotton was recruited to play football at Ohio State University but played just four games as a defensive tackle for the Buckeyes before deciding that the football career path was not for him.
Cotton then turned his focus to another passion: rap music. And his big break came in 2013 when he submitted a track for inclusion in the NBA 2K14 video game. LeBron just so happened to be one of the curators for the game, and he moved quickly to ensure that Cotton’s track was included. In 2015, James also teamed up with Cotton to record a song together.
Willie McGee
Willie McGee was another core member of the “Fab Five” and played an indispensable role in all three of their state titles.
With his playing days behind him, McGee pursued a career in coaching and served as an assistant at St. Vincent-St. Mary, the University of Akron, and Chowan University. In 2015, he accepted the head coaching position for the boys’ team at Akron East High School, simultaneously holding the position as the athletic director at St. Vincent-St. Mary, roles he no longer holds.
McGee stepped down from the AD position at his alma mater in 2022 and currently holds a position on the Advisory Board at the LeBron James Family Foundation.
Romeo Travis
Following the “Fab Five” days, Romeo Travis followed a similar career path as Dru Joyce III, playing college ball at the University of Akron, where he set the all-time blocked shots record, before embarking on a pro career overseas.
Travis played in several countries during his career, including Spain, Germany, Italy, Ukraine, and Israel. Even more impressively, he earned MVP honors in several of the leagues in which he was a member. Travis also won the French League Finals MVP in 2018.
After finally hanging up his sneakers in 2021, Travis returned to St. Vincent-St. Mary as an assistant coach and is being groomed to take over for Dru Joyce II.
