SUMMARY
- LeBron James reveals JR Smith's role in the chase down block on Andre Iguodala.
- King James credits JR for the Cavs' victory and won another title alongside Smith in 2020.
LeBron James recently got on another episode of his relatively new podcast alongside former NBA star JJ Reddick and went into detail regarding his iconic block during Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals. As most fans should be aware, King James has won 4 NBA championships throughout his career.
The first 2 came with the Miami Heat and the most recent one was with the Los Angeles Lakers. After winning 2 titles with the Heat, LeBron returned to Cleveland in order to bring his hometown a coveted NBA championship. He managed to do so by defeating Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals.
Although there were several iconic moments in that series, a particular defensive play stands out as one of the best highlights of King James’ impressive career. That said, fans might want to know more about the context and LeBron’s own thoughts at the time.
LeBron James gives JR Smith the majority of credit for his chase-down block
Due to LeBron James’ size and athleticism, his ability to chase down the opposition and block them from behind is well-known by the NBA community. He managed to do just that during the final stretch of Game 7 between the Warriors and Cavaliers. While one might assume LeBron was solely responsible for this impressive defensive play, he gave a fair share of credit to JR Smith for the famous block on Andre Iguodala.
“I was in the left corner and Iggy started on the right side but when I’m running all I’m telling myself is Swish do not foul him so…anytime that you see me trailing the play, all I need is a little adjustment from the offensive player and I promise you I’ll track it down so do not fu*king foul him…If you see my hauling a*s, just make him change it a little bit, just a little bit…”
King James continued, “And Swish gets a lot of sh*t today for the blunder he had 2 years ago or whatever…But he executed that sh*t to perfection. He made Iggy change his shot just a little bit and that’s all I asked.”
Since JR paid attention to LeBron James’ repeated instructions, James managed to soar into the air and block Iggy’s shot. Considering that the Warriors would have taken a lead and potentially won the championship with that possession, King James respected JR enough to even overlook his blunders in the 2018 NBA Finals.
JR has won 2 NBA championships alongside King James
With the exceptions of Kyrie Irving, Dwyane Wade, and Anthony Davis, one could argue that JR Smith has done a lot in order to help LeBron contend for multiple NBA championships over the years. He established himself as a solid three-point shooter towards the ending stages of his career. LeBron respected Swish enough to ensure that he won another championship in 2020 while playing for the Los Angeles Lakers.