All things considered, it’s kind of perfect that the quintessential play of LeBron James‘ career will probably always be a blocked shot. He can score with the best of them, but was never seen as a pure scorer. He has incredible court vision, but isn’t a true point guard. He has hit some huge shots in his career, but the clutch gene debate will probably always dog him. But there may be no other player so perfectly equipped and athletically engineered to sprint down the court, leap up “out of nowhere” and pin a shot onto the backboard in a series-saving and legacy-defining moment quite like LeBron.
“The Block” happened nearly nine months ago, but that doesn’t make it any less magical or impressive, and after Richard Jefferson retold the story on the Road Trippin’ With RJ And Channing podcast with Channing Frye.
“Do you guys know the last time I saw him move at 100 percent?” Jefferson asked during a conversation with Hawks guard Kent Bazemore about the general lethargy of the regular season and LeBron’s prowess. The answer was — of course — Game 7 of the 2016 Finals, and then Jefferson went on to describe exactly what he saw from the bench. “I see the two on one happening, and I was like ‘Damn it,’ [and] this is not an exaggeration,” he said, setting up the story. “It’s like, you see it happening and you’re watching the ball and I literally see a black blur. He gets the block and you’re like ‘Huh? What?’ but I had still never seen anybody move that fast, to the point that it’s a blur.”
It all sounds epic, but that’s because it was. Add that story on top of the short visual from Golden Hoops and it’s enough to make you appreciate the historic moment even more. Unless, of course, you’re a Warriors fan.
