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NBA Sends Strong Message to LeBron James on Sunday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Max Escarpio | Last updated Apr 27, 2025 6:43 PM ET

The Los Angeles Lakers are attempting to compete for an NBA title, riding the leadership of LeBron James during the latter half of his career.

James and the Lakers entered a matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday down 2-1 in the first-round series.

They now clearly have their backs against the wall, suffering a 116-113 loss to Minnesota, further extending the Timberwolves' lead to 3-1.

During the matchup against the Timberwolves, the NBA posted a historic note regarding James.

On Sunday, James passed Boston Celtics legend Kevin McHale for the No. 9 spot on the NBA's all-time playoff blocks list.

"Congrats to @KingJames of the @Lakers for moving into 9th on the all-time playoff BLOCKS list!" posted the official social media account of the NBA.

James is ranked behind several NBA legends on the all-time playoff blocks list: Tim Duncan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O'Neal, David Robinson, Robert Parish, Patrick Ewing and Serge Ibaka.

Congrats to @KingJames of the @Lakers for moving into 9th on the all-time playoff BLOCKS list!#NBAPlayoffs presented by Google pic.twitter.com/ao3FkPBEwr
— NBA (@NBA) April 27, 2025

In the Lakers' Game 4 loss to Minnesota, James made three blocks to go along with 27 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists.

James entered the Game 4 matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves, averaging 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game.

While he is widely regarded as one of the best facilitators in NBA history and clearly one of the best shot-makers, ranked No. 1 on the league's all-time scoring list, his defense was recently highlighted.

This season with the Lakers, James has also averaged 0.6 blocks and 1.0 steals per game.

James and the Lakers will now face an elimination game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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