Whether you want to say that LeBron James has a photographic memory or a version of eidetic memory, one thing is for sure, it never gets old watching him put his incredible gift on display. During the post-game press conference on Sunday following the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 108-83 Game 1 loss to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, James was asked to explain what happened when Boston took a quick 7-0 run, giving them an 85-64 lead early in the fourth quarter.
LeBron could have easily responded by providing some sort of generic response, like their defense couldn’t stop the Celtics from getting quality shots, or their offense struggled to effectively chip away at the Celtics’ sizable lead. Instead, James came away with a literal interpretation of the reporter’s question, and decided to answer her inquiry with an incredibly detailed breakdown of how the Celtics’ 7-0 run came about.
Aside from one detail that James got wrong—the Cavaliers didn’t “miss another shot” before Jayson Tatum hit a layup to cap off their 7-0 run—the rest of LeBron’s recollection of the situation was spot on.
In a 2014 ESPN piece on his amazing memory, LeBron admits that he utilizes his unique talent to get the most out of his teammates. "It's allowed me to see things before they happen, put guys in position, kind of read my teammates, knowing who is out of rhythm, who is in rhythm, knowing the score, the time, who has it going on the other end, knowing their likes and dislikes and being able to calibrate all that into a game situation," he said. "That's very challenging, but it comes natural. It can help your team out."
