Sophia Michaels
LeBron James is, without question, one of the best basketball players of all-time and with that comes a laundry list of statistical accomplishments. In addition to his title-winning profile, James is virtually indestructible as a power athlete, covering ground like few ever have, and he is a virtuoso in the open floor as he converts his speed to power to overwhelm opponents.
With that said, James is also a master craftsman who is well regarded for the way he feels the game. That part of his arsenal can be overlooked when remembering he is a 6’8, 260-pound super-athlete, but former teammate Iman Shumpert made sure to shed light on what he described as a “superpower” when it comes to James’ basketball IQ.
“He has to share basketball knowledge with people,” Shumpert said. “It might be his biggest superpower. His ability to get everybody on the same page; it’s actually kind of scary.”
From there, Shumpert went on to say that, essentially, James knows the dynamics of both teams (not just his own) and even goes as far as to memorize, and communicate, the specific shooting percentages of opponents at different places on the floor. Shumpert also gave a specific example of how LeBron would lay out what was about to happen on the floor as he had the ball, directing traffic, and then explaining why, later on the bench, a play would work a certain way once they ran it again.
Of course, it isn’t breaking news to any NBA die-hard that James is held in high esteem for his approach to basketball, not just to the way he is physically able to play. Still, this type of chatter from a teammate helps to crystalize the brilliance of the way James thinks about basketball and, when combined with his physical profile and impeccable work ethic, you can peek behind the curtain of what makes him a legendary figure on the floor.
Written by: Uproxx
