LeBron James' boasts about his basketball intellect have become a favorite NBA world meme (2024)

LeBron James is one of the smartest players in NBA history, and he is happy to tell everyone about it.

For years, James has been praised by teammates, opponents, and analysts for his high "basketball IQ" — from his ability to read defenses, know other teams' plays, and recall basketball minutiae that escapes many others.

James is rightly proud of this. However, in recent months, it's also turned him into a meme in the basketball world, as fans have caught onto James' penchant for claiming to know things before they happen.

This occurred on Sunday after the Los Angeles Lakers' Game 1 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. While praising teammate Austin Reaves, an undrafted second-year guard who scored 23 points in the victory, James said he knew that Reaves was an NBA-caliber player.

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"It's not surprising to me. I knew from the first practice that we had when we grabbed him that he wasn't going to be a two-way player for long," James said, referring to Reaves' two-way contract between the NBA and G League.

"A couple weeks went by, I knew he was gonna get a guaranteed contract at some point. I've been around the game long enough to know great basketball IQ players, and I know the type of players that fit with my game, and I knew Austin would be that right away."

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Fans immediately pounced on James' latest boast about his own clairvoyance.

—Chris Manning (@cwmwrites) April 16, 2023
—Hatim_Reads (@Hatim_Reads) April 16, 2023
—John Ewing 🦁 (@johnewing) April 16, 2023

Googling "LeBron James lying" yields plenty of video compilations, containing various situations where James perhaps stretched the truth about what he knows on a subject.

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LeBron James' boasts about his basketball intellect have become a favorite NBA world meme (1)

Within almost all of those compilations is an old interview with James in which he said he predicted the night Kobe Bryant scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors in 2006 — the second-highest scoring performance in NBA history.

"I was at home watching the game ... Before the game even started, I said he was probably gonna score 70 tonight. I don't know what made me say that ... When he got to, like, 70, I was like, well he might as well go for 80 now."

—Mike Korzemba (@mikekorz) April 12, 2023

James is at least partially aware of these memes. When James' show "The Shop" did a livestream during a "Thursday Night Football" game, NFL cornerback Jalen Ramsey made note of the memes, saying, "Now 'Bron, you know what they be saying on Twitter right now — they say you be capping." (Capping is a slang term meaning "to lie.")

James laughed and said, "I only speak the truth, baby!"

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—Mark Jackson’s Burner (@casualtakeking) November 18, 2022

While the "lying" compilations extend to topics beyond basketball, there is still a through-line: James reminding everyone of how much he knows.

He's done this before. In 2015, James defended himself against accusations that he gets head coaches fired by saying his "huge basketball IQ" requires his input into the game plans.

"People get it so misconstrued because I'm a smart basketball player and I've voiced my opinion about certain things ... What do you guys want me to do? Turn my brain off because I have a huge basketball IQ? If that's what they want me to do, I'm not going to do it because I've got so much to give to the game."

After a playoff game in 2018, James broke down an entire play, beat by beat, during a media session then stopped and said, "It's kinda crazy I can replay all the plays in my head, huh?"

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—Scott (@WFNYScott) April 23, 2017

Of course, these boasts are not without merit — just about anyone who has seen James up-close has come away impressed by his knowledge.

"He can explain this game forward and back," former Cavs teammate Iman Shumpert told VladTV in 2020. "It's unbelievable. You talk about someone who knows the playbook, knows where everybody's supposed to be, knows the other teams' coaches' playbook, style of coaching, how his ball club is gonna play. 'Bron's one of them.

"Like, we'll be going into Philly tonight, he'll be like, 'They just hired their new defensive coach, but he was at Georgetown for three years, and I played for him one time at camp, and this is how he's gonna play us.' And you're like, 'What?"

James will just be sure to tell everyone about it.

LeBron James' boasts about his basketball intellect have become a favorite NBA world meme (2024)

FAQs

What is having basketball IQ? ›

Analysts often talk of players with great basketball IQ as being “Students of the Game”. This is true as they watch and analyze game footage more than others. They practice on the court, they work out in the gym (because they know they need strength and conditioning), and they watch highlights and study film.

Where did the LeBron James Sunshine meme come from? ›

The LeBron James "You Are My Sunshine" meme explained...

After LeBron scored 40 points in Brooklyn, some TikTok videos show the crowd singing “You Are My Sunshine” to the superstar. It appears that a meme that began in January 2023 has blossomed into reality over a year later. LeBron lovers and haters are passionate.

How does LeBron James promote himself? ›

LeBron's marketing strategy is quite brilliant. Although he uses his basketball skill set on the court, he uses his basketball and celebrity popularity off the court, landing him big sponsorships like Coca-Cola, Samsung and Nike. Businesses can learn from his marketing strategy and employ it in their own plans.

When was the LeBron James meme made? ›

The trend originated in early 2023 as a way of mocking some of the most passionate fans of James. Super-fans of the Lakers star long preceded TikTok, as James has had no shortage of ardent supporters and defenders throughout his iconic career.

What sport has the highest average IQ? ›

The researcher, William Daley, says bowlers averaged 129 on a series of standard I.Q. tests. Some other average scores included 109 for tennis players, 105 for basketball players, 103 for football players, 101 for baseball players and 97 for golfers. Daley himself expressed a little shock at the findings.

What does LeBron eat? ›

When he's training or getting ready for the season, James likes to incorporate a diet that limits processed foods, sugar, dairy, and foods high in carbohydrates. Instead, James eats lean meats, fish, fruit, and vegetables. This diet includes salmon, vegetable salads, chicken breast, omelets, and much more.

Who is the oldest player to ever play in the NBA? ›

Robert Parish is the third-oldest player to ever play in the NBA. The oldest player ever to play in the NBA was Nat Hickey who played one game in the 1947–48 season when he was 45 years and 363 days old.

What is LeBron James advocating for? ›

After establishing the LeBron James Family Foundation to help children and single-parent families in need, LeBron went on to create programs that combat the high-school dropout epidemic and encourage a life-changing pursuit of education.

When was LeBron a 99? ›

LeBron James NBA 2K Ratings
SeasonTeamRating
2008/09Cleveland Cavaliers99
2007/08Cleveland Cavaliers97
2006/07Cleveland Cavaliers98
2005/06Cleveland Cavaliers97
17 more rows

Who created the LeBron logo? ›

LeBron James logo — Darrin Crescenzi Studio.

Who is the LeBron James kid meme? ›

LeBron James. This is Terrence Jackson, aka the LeBron James Kid. And back in 2014. he went viral for repeat.

Does LeBron have a high basketball IQ? ›

It's pretty well documented that LeBron has one of the highest bball IQs the league has seen and has essentially photographic memory of everything that touches with basketball.

Does playing 2K increase basketball IQ? ›

Believe it or not, playing the NBA 2K video game can help players improve their basketball IQ. Try playing with different teams or using different playbooks and get used to running different plays or actions.

What does sports IQ do? ›

Using machine learning, Sports IQ's player performance and market generation technology is able to create advanced and unique lines across hundreds of betting markets, for both pre-match and live game dynamics.

What is the IQ of game players? ›

PC gamers: 112.3 IQ. PlayStation gamers: 110.7. Xbox: 103.8. Nintendo Switch: 101.3.

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