Rich Paul Shares Untold Story Behind LeBron James’ Famous Game 7 Block

According to the Klutch Sports founder and CEO, the Cavaliers coach directly challenged LeBron in the locker room and demanded more from his superstar leader.

“I really believe this if T Lue does not have that conversation with LeBron in that locker room and challenge him in that locker room. We don’t get the block,” he added.

He explained that LeBron did not initially respond well to the criticism, but the moment reflected the level of trust between player and coach during Cleveland’s championship run.

Years later, Paul still believes that conversation changed everything.

With under two minutes left in a tied fourth quarter, Iguodala appeared to have a clear path to the basket before James exploded from behind for the iconic chasedown rejection that helped preserve Cleveland’s momentum.

Ty Lue Was Not Initially Ready To Coach LeBron James 

While Tyronn Lue and LeBron James already had championship history together, that still was not enough to convince Lue to immediately take over the Lakers.

Years after helping guide the Cavaliers to the historic 2016 NBA title, Lue recently opened up about why he initially hesitated to coach James again in Los Angeles.

According to Lue, the issue was never about the veteran player himself. Instead, it was about how the Lakers approached negotiations and the perception surrounding the job.

Lue admitted James wanted him to become the Lakers’ next head coach, but he did not want his relationship with the superstar to become the reason a deal happened.

“For me to be a championship coach, to take a three-year deal when everyone else is getting five-year deals and more money, and then you wanna pick my staff as well? I just thought that was a slap in the face,” the coach said in December 2024.

At the time, the Lakers were searching for stability after moving on from Luke Walton. Instead of hiring Lue, the franchise eventually turned to Frank Vogel, who later helped lead the team to the 2020 NBA championship inside the Orlando bubble. Meanwhile, Lue joined the Clippers as an assistant before taking over as head coach in 2020.