Clippers Coach Doc Rivers on LeBron James: ‘There’s No One in the League With His Brain’

Count Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers among the many who are impressed with LeBron James and his high basketball IQ.

Rivers is so impressed with the Los Angeles Lakers star that he believes there is no other player in the league quite like him.

“There’s a lot of people in the league with LeBron’s body,” Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers said, per Sports Illustrated’s Melissa Rohlin. “There’s no one in the league with his brain.”

Though they are rivals, Rivers recognizes James’ unique ability to analyze the game like few others in league history.

His photographic memory, one that has been documented before, is a special ability that gives James an advantage over his opponents.

“I’ve always had it,” James explained to Sports Illustrated. ” A lot of my friends when I was younger playing the game, they were like, ‘Man, how did you remember that play? Or how did you remember that? It was so long ago.’ I never thought about it. I didn’t even know what photographic memory meant when I was younger until I got older. It’s something that I was born with or blessed with.”

A creative playmaker, James’ photographic memory has made him one of the best passers in league history from the forward position.

At 35 years old, the three-time Finals MVP was leading the league in assists at 10.6 per game before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the NBA to suspend the 2019-20 season. He has never been the league’s top assist man at any point in his career until now.

It simply proves that though his body is slowly aging, his brain is still finding ways to make an impact on the game.