Sports Illustrated named LeBron James the 2012 Sportsman of the Year this week.
In his excellent cover story on LeBron, SI's Lee Jenkins was able to dig up a whole bunch of rich details and stories that give us a much better picture of who LeBron is and what drives him.
Among them: LeBron barely went to school in third grade because his mother was moving so much, he goes to insane lengths to scout opposing players, and he impersonates a lion when he gets in the zone.
He has a "quasi-photographic memory," according to teammate Shane Battier
Battier, one of the most respected players in the league, had this to say:
"It's a little like A Beautiful Mind. He has a quasi-photographic memory that allows him to process data very quickly. Usually, the über-athletic guys who are so much more physically gifted than everybody else don't give much credence to the mental side of the game."
Source: SI
LeBron gets a scouting report that's twice as long as the one everyone else gets before games
The article really hammers home how smart LeBron is on the court.
He can run every play in Miami's playbook from all five positions. He's also really dependent on advanced stats, "I want to know that this guy drives left 70% of the time, or pulls up when he drives right, or likes to cross over after two dribbles."
Source: SI
He loves lions, and says he impersonates a lion when he's zoned in
LeBron probably had the best game of his life in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Celtics. His teammates said they knew they'd win because he had "the look." Here's how he explained that look:
"You know how in school, around the classroom, there's always the alphabet? The capital A and lower case A has an apple. The capital B and lower case B has a ball. I always looked at the L, because of my name, and it had a lion. That's why I love lions. The look they're talking about is the look lions get when they're seeking prey and it's time to feast."
Source: SI
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