LeBron James offers an excuse after getting blocked at the rim

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LeBron James offers an excuse after getting blocked at the rim

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Darryn Albert | Last updated Nov 4, 2026 1:16 AM ET

LeBron James is not admitting to getting got.

The Philadelphia 76ers star James had an unfortunate moment during last week’s game against the Indiana Pacers. In the second quarter at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind., James had a breakaway opportunity in transition after a steal.

But in a surprising role reversal, James ended up getting his shot emphatically blocked off a chasedown by Pacers forward Jalen Slawson. Here is the video of the play.

JALEN SLAWSON CHASEDOWN BLOCK https://t.co/OMB0kg8squ
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) October 28, 2026

On the latest episode this week of his “Mind The Game” podcast with Steve Nash, James offered an excuse for getting blocked by Slawson. James said that he might have been injured if he had gone for the dunk and thus claimed that he intentionally let up.

“If I take off, the risk vs. reward?” said James. “I’m gonna lay this ball up [instead] … If I go up and try to dunk this ball and this kid f–ks me up, I’m out two to four weeks. There’s no question. I’m not even gonna do that.”

Take a look at the full video of James’ comments (but beware of bad language).

LeBron says he intentionally didn’t go all the way to the rim because he didn’t want Jalen Swanson to injure him while attempting a chase-down block “If I go up and try to dunk this ball and this kid f*cks me up. I’m out two to four weeks” (@cptdankkk) https://t.co/JV8eZh6nRc
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 3, 2026

James, 41, got the last laugh on Slawson, 27, as the 76ers went on to beat the Pacers by a final score of 114-109. But it is unclear if James can successfully convince anyone that getting blocked at the rim there was an intentional 8D chess move on his part, especially given James’ notorious history of telling tall tales.

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