LeBron James is one of the best players the NBA has ever seen. Be it scoring, rebounding, defending, or passing the ball, LBJ can do it all. While he continues to terrorize defenders, his 19-year-career so far has produced some incredible highlights.
Playing for the likes of the Miami Heat, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and now the Los Angeles Lakers, James has been a constant threat whenever he is on the court. While his physical prowess might have deteriorated with time, back in 2009, LBJ was known as the ‘Akron Hammer’ for a reason.
While his first stint with the Cavaliers might not have given him any championships, James unlocked his true potential with the Cavs. With him starring as the best player on the team, Bron asserted himself offensively as well as defensively. His versatile gameplay was on full display against the Phoenix Suns back on March 11, 2009. The Suns, who had a stacked roster with the likes of Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire, and Shaquille O’Neal, were one of the most fun teams to watch in the league.
Against the Cavs, Phoenix was going blow for blow. Going into the fourth quarter, the Suns led the game 93-89. Three minutes into the 4th quarter, LBJ attempted a three-pointer but missed. The Suns immediately capitalized with a block and found themselves in a quick transition, finding forward Jason Richardson. Given that it was a 3-on-1 break, Richardson could have easily gone for the easy dunk. Instead, he tried to go for the spectacular, trying to score a 360 dunk.
What could easily have been a highlight, though, was ruined by LeBron James as the ‘Akron Hammer’ came storming down the court to block the shot. Recently, multiple fans reacted to the now viral clip.
“The most underrated block of all time”
“360 down 2 in the 4th is crazy”
“I love J-Rich but the audacity of trying this with the defender so close to him is hilarious.”
“I remember watching this play live. Seemed like every time Lebron came to Phoenix from like 08-16 he’d just dominate.”
“Richardson looked like he was mad about a no-call, but I don’t think you are allowed to complain after trying that in a 2 point game in the 4th quarter.”
“That’s so dangerous oh my god”
“I miss prime LeBron.”
“A touching father-son moment.”
“That’s gotta be incredibly embarrassing.”
“that’s hilarious. glad j richardson was safe but lebron was like nope”
“I was at this game. Sasha Pavlovic hit a corner 3 on the other end while J-Rich complained and got a technical. Ended up being a 6 point swing, pretty crazy.”
“That was gangsta”
Ultimately, it was LeBron James’ 34-point triple-double performance that led the Cavs to a 119-111 victory. Although Bron couldn’t win the title in his first stint with the Cavaliers, it is only poetic that it was yet another chase-down block by James which played a pivotal role in the franchise winning their first title: the block on Andre Iguodala in the 2016 NBA Finals.
