Graham was born on March 6, 1951, in the Whitesboro section of Middle Township, New Jersey, the son of Mary Jacobs Graham and Stedman Graham, Sr. He is one of six children. He stands 6 feet 6 inches tall. He received a bachelor's degree in social work from Hardin-Simmons University in 1974 and a master's degree in education from Ball State University in 1979. Graham played college basketball at Hardin-Simmons.
Graham was the constant companion of WFLD-TV anchor Robin Robinson from 1982 to 1985.
He is also founder of Chicago, Illinois's AAD (formerly, Athletes Against Drugs), a non-profit organization that provides services to youth and has awarded over $1.5 million in scholarships since its founding in 1985. It also arranged for Sports figures to educate children about substance abuse.
Graham has been the subject of much publicity since 1986, most notably through tabloid articles claiming to chronicle his ongoing relationship with Winfrey. Graham has been with Winfrey since 1986.
In 1988 Graham created S. Graham & Associates, a Chicago-based corporate and educational marketing and consulting firm.
Graham became a columnist for the Huffington Post in 2013. He contributed an article on personal identity to the College Board School Counseling Series in 2012.
