Twitter compares Giannis Antetokounmpo NBA Finals block vs. Suns to LeBron James' vs. Warriors in 2016

Jacob Camenker

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Twitter compares Giannis Antetokounmpo NBA Finals block vs. Suns to LeBron James' vs. Warriors in 2016 image

Giannis Antetokounmpo was listed as questionable to play in the first game of the 2021 NBA Finals due to a hyperextended knee that kept him out of the final two-plus games of the Bucks-Hawks series.

"The Greek Freak" was able to quell concerns about his health with a monster block at the end of the first half of Game 1 against the Suns.

Antetokounmpo flew in out of nowhere to swat a Mikal Bridges shot off the backboard with less than a minute left in the second quarter. That ensured the Suns wouldn't extend their lead to 10 points.

MORE: Full recap of Suns' Game 1 win over Bucks

Here's a look at the play, via the NBA's official Twitter account.

And here's a look at the play from another angle (and in slow motion!):

Certainly, there were shades of LeBron James' chasedown block against the Warriors in that play. James famously blocked Andre Igoudala in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals to help the Cavaliers win the title.

NBA Twitter noticed the similarities between the two plays. As such, NBA fans compared Giannis' block to LeBron's, while also marveling at the Greek Freak's overall athletic ability.

Despite Antetokounmpo's best efforts — 20 points, 17 rebounds, four assists, two steals and the block — the Suns still emerged from Game 1 of the series as the victors. Phoenix won 118-105 to earn a 1-0 series lead.

Jacob Camenker

Jacob Camenker Photo

Jacob Camenker first joined The Sporting News as a fantasy football intern in 2018 after his graduation from UMass. He became a full-time employee with TSN in 2021 and now serves as a senior content producer with a particular focus on the NFL. Jacob worked at NBC Sports Boston as a content producer from 2019 to 2021. He is an avid fan of the NFL Draft and ranked 10th in FantasyPros’ Mock Draft Accuracy metric in both 2021 and 2022.