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LeBron James has always garnered a lot of praise for his high basketball IQ in the NBA.
James' ability to keep track of his opponent's strengths and weaknesses has given him the edge over almost every opponent throughout his career. It's been a key reason why James is called the 'King' of the playoffs and has reached ten NBA Finals in 13 years.
Players and coaches from his team and opposition camps have never shied away from talking about the 4-time NBA MVP. On that note, here's a look at five occasions when LeBron James has been praised for his basketball IQ.
#5 Draymond Green and Steven Kerr applaud LeBron James' photographic memory
LeBron James is one of the few players in the history of the NBA who can narrate multiple plays of a game due to his picture-perfect photographic memory. The four-time champion has surprised reporters after recalling plays from a game as if it was being played in front of his eyes.
One such instance was during the 2018 NBA Playoffs. LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers faced the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals that year. James spoke about the multiple sequences that took place towards the end of Game 1 of the series during a post-game conference.
Reporters present for that segment instantly started to clap at James' unbelievable memory. (The footage of the same can be viewed on the YouTube video link embedded below.)
The Golden State Warriors' head coach-player duo of Steven Kerr and Draymond Green were asked if they had seen footage of LeBron James recalling the sequence. Both Green and Kerr were completely astonished at how 'King James' narrated the sequence perfectly.
"Yeah that was impressive, that was very impressive" exclaimed Draymond Green.
"I think great players remember everything.. The best players generally remember everything and have the sharpest memories." said Steven Kerr.
The Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers battled in four straight NBA Finals between 2014 and 2017. Even though the Warriors won three times, the coaching staff and players of the opposing team had immense respect for LeBron James' individual performances during that run.
#4 DeMar DeRozan recalls LeBron James reminding his Toronto Raptors teammate of a play he forgot
LeBron James' basketball IQ is at a level where he can call out the plays of his opponents with ease. During a segment on 'The Old Man and The Three' podcast, DeMar DeRozan mentioned about one such instance.
One of DeRozan's teammates forgot a play the Raptors were running during a playoff game against LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers. James apparently told the Raptors player about the play they were supposed to run. Here's what DeRozan said:
"There was a play we were trying to run, when (one of our) teammates forgot the play and LeBron told him the play. Like that was some crazy sh*t."
It speaks volumes about the kind of mental preparation James has during playoff games. James faced the Raptors 14 times in the NBA Playoffs, and lost just twice, beating them in every series he has squared up against them.
#3 Doc Rivers says no one can match LeBron James' brain in the NBA
Doc Rivers' teams have been at the receiving end of LeBron James' stellar performances in the past. But the Philadelphia 76ers head coach has always been very appreciative of what James has achieved in the league and believes he is indeed one of the best players in the business.
According to Sports Illustrated, Doc Rivers' once said:
"There's a lot of people in the league with LeBron's body; there's no one in the league with his brain."
James views the game as a head coach does. His ability to make the right plays and an encyclopedic knowledge of opposition players and coaches make him one of the most challenging opponents to outsmart on a basketball court.
#2 Scott Brooks claims LeBron James can call out fake plays
LeBron James is so well-versed with the way opposition teams play that he can even call out fake plays that teams may use to deceive him and his teammates. But when James constructs fake plays, teams playing against him always seem to fall for them.
Scott Brooks, former head coach of the Washington Wizards, made this fascinating claim after a 2019 game between the Wizards and the LA Lakers.
This wasn't the first time an opposing head coach praised LeBron James for his ability to predict plays. Doc Rivers and Dwyane Casey also had similar stories, which they shared during an episode of NBA TV's Open Court a few years ago.
#1 Iman Shumpert says LeBron James' IQ is his biggest superpower
Iman Shumpert played with LeBron James at the Cleveland Cavaliers for four straight seasons between 2014 and 2017.
Shumpert was one of the closest witnesses to James' intelligence on the court during his stint with the Cavs. He also narrated one of the most interesting stories about his IQ while playing the game, and claimed LeBron James' basketball IQ is almost "scary." He said:
"He (LeBron) can explain the game forward and back.... It's unbelievable. Talk about somebody who knows the playbook, know where everybody is supposed to be, know the other team's coaches' playbook, style of coaching, how his ball club is going to play."
"Bron's one of them where he'll be like we're going to Philly tonight, (he will say) they hired a new defensive coach, but he (the coach) was at Georgetown for three years, and I played for him one time at the camp and this is how they gonna play us."
Small details like these have played a vital role in LeBron James becoming the player he is today. Shumpert also mentioned some other interesting stories like James reading the stats on players and their shooting percentages from various spots, and also added how James communicates with his teammates during plays in games.
Here's a full clip of Iman Shumpert's comments on LeBron James' IQ:
Guess the Bulls players in this quiz and it's not going to be easy!
