LeBron James and the Fab 5: Where former high school teammates and friends are now
Led by Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, St. Vincent-St. Mary High School was the talk of high school basketball circles in the early 2000s as they became the No. 1 team in the country, winning three state championships.
“The Fab Five” as they referred to themselves — in homage to the iconic University of Michigan squad, who became a cultural phenomenon in the early ’90s — James and his childhood friends became a phenomenon in their own right, with “The Chosen One” arguably the biggest high school basketball star of all time, garnering a swath of media attention as a teenager.
James, of course, made the leap from high school straight to the pros, when he was drafted No. 1 by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003, before going to a legendary NBA career, including four championships, four MVP awards, as well as becoming the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
While none of his former St. Vincent-St. Mary teammates made it to the NBA, they have each forged their own paths, enjoying success in multiple fields.
Where are they now? Here’s a closer look at the other members of the famed Fab Five, following high school.
Where are The Fab Five now?
Dru Joyce III
Joyce III (or Lil’ Dru) was the starting point guard for St. Vincent-St. Mary. Following high school, he went on to enjoy a successful playing career overseas.
He spent 12 seasons playing in Europe, mostly in Germany, with stints in France and Belarus.
After his playing career finished in 2019, Joyce III went on to become an assistant coach at Cleveland State University, before joining Duquesne as the team’s associate head coach in 2022. Duquesne’s head coach, Keith Dambrot, coached Joyce, James and the Fab Five for two seasons at St. Vincent-St. Mary.
Sian Cotton
Cotton, the team’s big man, went on to play college football at The Ohio State University as a defensive tackle.
After seeing limited time in his first two seasons with the Buckeyes, Cotton transferred to Youngstown State, then NAIA Walsh University, where he finished his football career.
Once he left football behind, Cotton turned his focus to his other passion: music. In 2013, one of Cotton’s songs was featured on the NBA 2K14 video game soundtrack, which was curated by James.
Willie McGee
Following his high school playing days, McGee went on to play football at Fairmont State University.
After graduating in 2008, he returned to his alma mater as a coach, serving as an assistant coach at St. Vincent-St. Mary and going on to become the Athletic Director at the school. He held that position while also coaching boy’s basketball at Akron East High School from 2015, before further coaching stints at the University of Akron and Chowan University.
In 2016, he founded the D.A.L.E program, an organization that creates events for disabled and disadvantaged local children, focused on education, athletics and empowerment.
He currently works for the LeBron James Family Foundation.
Romeo Travis
Travis continued to pursue basketball after high school. He played at the University of Akron and became the school’s all-time leader in blocks.
He went on to play professionally overseas for 14 years in Spain, Germany, Italy, Croatia, Russia, Philippines, Ukraine, Israel and France, winning championships in the Balkan League (2012) and the French Pro A League (2018), where he was also named league MVP that same season.
He last played for Limoges CSP in France in 2021.
After retiring in 2021, Travis returned to St. Vincent-St. Mary as an assistant coach.
