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LeBron James is the all-time leading scorer and an elite playmaker, but one cannot forget his contributions on the other end of the floor. The 40-year-old is a five-time All-Defensive First-Team selection, with his signature chase-down block at the basket leaving a particularly strong impression on fans.
He broke out the move in the first half of Saturday’s NBA playoffs matchup versus the Minnesota Timberwolves, drawing a big statement from the broadcast table.
“When they put up a statue outside this arena, it might just be that,” analyst Jay Bilas said after James prevented a Nickeil Alexander-Walker layup. The interesting take prompted fans to chime in and voice their own opinions.
"When they put up a statue outside this arena, it might just be that."
LeBron chasedown blocks never get old 🤩 /GdsyTfpT9O
— NBA (@NBA) April 20, 2025
Will LeBron James get a Lakers statue?
“Absolutely legendary!” @Thecityismine_x commented on X. “That block was statue worthy indeed.”
One person referenced the most famous James block, which is also possibly the biggest rejection in NBA history. “If they do put up a statue, it wouldn’t be crazy to see him mid-flight, swatting that {Andre} Iguodala layup from the 2016 Finals (Cleveland Cavaliers-Golden State Warriors Game 7),” @infoAtX noted. “Pure iconic.”
Others took issue with the suggestion that the all-time great has done enough with the Lakers to warrant eternal commemoration outside Arena– he has one championship in one Finals appearance through almost seven seasons in Los Angeles. “He ain’t getting a statue in LA,” @rden_23 opined.
While this latest chase-down block is certainly impressive, it will be overshadowed since the Lakers dropped Game 1 of this series at home, losing 117-95.
The Timberwolves surged in the second quarter and then pummeled their opponent for most of the third quarter, thriving from behind the 3-point line. Jaden McDaniels was spectacular, scoring a team-high 25 points on 11-of-13 shooting. Anthony Edwards tallied 22 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, and Naz Reid added 23 points and six treys.
LA needs LeBron James, Luka Doncic– who did have 37 points and eight rebounds in a superb outing– and the rest of the team to bounce back moving forward, as the excitement surrounding this group already begins to fade. A first-round playoffs exit would maybe table statue discussions temporarily.
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