“Who’s that, LeBron James?”: Kornet’s block sends social media into a frenzy
Luke Kornet’s block in Game 7 against the Thunder sparked comparisons to LeBron James’ legendary play in the 2016 NBA Finals. After the game, Kornet had the perfect response
One of the defining moments of the San Antonio Spurs’ Game 7 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder was undoubtedly Luke Kornet’s fourth-quarter block on Isaiah Hartenstein.
With Victor Wembanyama, the unanimous Western Conference Finals MVP, temporarily on the bench due to foul trouble, Kornet sprinted back on defense after a Spurs turnover and erased what looked like an easy Thunder layup. The play immediately shifted the momentum of the game, and many fans on social media were quick to compare it to LeBron James’ iconic chase-down block on Andre Iguodala in the 2016 NBA Finals.
I was so happy for him. That’s the perfect definition of a winning play
Victor Wembanyama
The comparison is probably a bit of a stretch given the historical significance of LeBron’s play, but Kornet’s block still became one of the signature images of San Antonio’s trip to the NBA Finals.
The Spurs big man took the whole thing with a sense of humor during his postgame media session:
Somebody on the bench yelled, ‘Who’s that? LeBron James?’ We’ll see which one of those two plays has more longevity in the history books
Luke Kornet
The response drew plenty of laughs and showed that Kornet is fully aware of the gap between the two moments. Still, there’s no denying that in that particular moment, his block was crucial in helping San Antonio close out the series and complete its upset of the defending champions.