With the series tied at 2-2, reporters caught LeBron James reading The Alchemist at practice before Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals on Wednesday. The footage resulted in jokes and people wondering if there’s a deeper meaning to his book selection, but James has actually been doing this for years.

People started spotting James with various books in the postseason the same year he began his Zero Dark Thirty social media shutdown, which was 2012, when he won his first championship with the Heat. A month after securing his first ring, he talked to Oprah about why he reads. He told her:

“I was reading to not only do something different, but to also take my mind off the game. Because during the postseason, everything is about the games. Everything is about the matchup and the team that you’re playing and the city that you’re in. I needed some moments where I could just get a different perspective — escape.”

Now, James is still at it. This isn’t even his first time reading The Alchemist. He talked about it on a podcast last March.

Here’s a look at what James said about Paulo Coelho’s novel last year, and what other books he has read in the past, including summaries of the plots so you can decide if you want to pick one of them up yourself:

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Per USA TODAY Sports, when Irving asked James what he learned from The Alchemist on the Road Trippin’ podcast in March of 2017, James said:

“The whole thing about empowerment of yourself and having your visions become a reality and the more and more that you dream and actually talk about something that you want to do, it can become true. That was one of the one things I got out of it. As complex as that book is and as deep as that book is – it is so, so deep – I was able to figure out a way to translate it to my life at that point in time where I was like, oh I can remember when I was the 11-year-old kid and I was telling myself ‘Why me?’ some days and I was always telling myself, ‘OK, let’s change the narrative of why me, why us, why are we put in this position? Let’s change the narrative.'”

A summary via Barnes and Noble:

“Paulo Coelho’s masterpiece tells the mystical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure. His quest will lead him to riches far different—and far more satisfying—than he ever imagined. Santiago’s journey teaches us about the essential wisdom of listening to our hearts, of recognizing opportunity and learning to read the omens strewn along life’s path, and, most importantly, to follow our dreams.”

The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins

USA TODAY Sports‘ Jeff Zillgitt reported the many books James was going through in the 2012 playoffs. Those included The Hunger Games, as well as all of the others listed below, except for The Godfather.

James said then:

“For me, it’s relaxing honestly. You spend so much preparation for the games, sometimes you just need to get away from it for a little bit. The reading has helped me get away from the game a little bit, and I’m able zero in once I’m done and get ready for the games.”

In the 2018 postseason, James has referenced The Hunger Games twice (he talked about wanting to hear the loud victory noise in the sky, and he talked about wanting sponsors to send him some rest).

A summary via Amazon:

“In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before – and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.”

Decoded by Jay-Z

A summary via goodreads.com:

“Decoded is a book like no other: a collection of lyrics and their meanings that together tell the story of a culture, an art form, a moment in history, and one of the most provocative and successful artists of our time.”

West by West: My Charmed, Tormented Life by Jerry West and Jonathan Coleman

A summary via Amazon:

“WEST BY WEST recounts West’s difficult journey from an abusive childhood in West Virginia (and the loss of a beloved brother to war) to his All-American success at West Virginia University, and his brilliant 40-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers. He speaks openly for the first time about his lifelong battle with depression, low self-esteem, and his complex relationships with NBA legends Elgin Baylor, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Pat Riley, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kobe Bryant, with owners Jack Kent Cooke and Jerry Buss, coach Phil Jackson, and many more.”

The Pact: Three Young Men Make a Promise and Fulfill a Dream by Sampson Davis, George Jenkins, Rameck Hunt and Lisa Frazier Page

A summary via Barnes and Noble:

“Chosen by Essence to be among the forty most influential African Americans, the three doctors grew up in the streets of Newark, facing city life’s temptations, pitfalls, even jail. But one day these three young men made a pact. They promised each other they would all become doctors, and stick it out together through the long, difficult journey to attaining that dream. Sampson Davis, George Jenkins, and Rameck Hunt are not only friends to this day—they are all doctors.

“This is a story about joining forces and beating the odds. A story about changing your life, and the lives of those you love most… together.”

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

A summary via Barnes and Noble:

“The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire. Just as a single sick person can start an epidemic of the flu, so too can a small but precisely targeted push cause a fashion trend, the popularity of a new product, or a drop in the crime rate. This widely acclaimed bestseller, in which Malcolm Gladwell explores and brilliantly illuminates the tipping point phenomenon, is already changing the way people throughout the world think about selling products and disseminating ideas.”

The Godfather by Mario Puzo

A summary via Barnes and Noble:

“A #1 New York Times bestseller in 1969, Mario Puzo’s epic was turned into the incomparable film of the same name, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture. It is the original classic that has been often imitated, but never matched. A tale of family and society, law and order, obedience and rebellion, it reveals the dark passions of human nature played out against a backdrop of the American dream.”