Two of the NBA’s elder statesmen, Minnesota Timberwolves veteran point guard Mike Conley Jr. and Los Angeles Lakers superstar forward LeBron James, figured in one of the wildest moments in Game 4 of their first-round series Sunday night in the Twin Cities.
After the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player caught a lob pass in front of the rim, it looked as though he was going to get an easy, uncontested bucket. But the 37-year-old Conley, who is a lefty, had other plans, as he somehow found a way to use his off-hand to block James’ attempt from point-blank range.
MIKE CONLEY BLOCKS LEBRON JAMES
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 27, 2025
Rudy Gobert is often the Timberwolves’ last man on defense as their imposing rim protector, but he was late on the help, leaving Conley alone to deal with James, who turned 40 years old last December. Nevertheless, Conley got the job done during that play, sparking lots of fan buzz on the internet.
“unc on unc crime,” said a fan.
“How you getting blocked by Conley
”
“‘Come on old man’ – what I imagine Mike Conley said,” one comment read.
Shared another: “I never expected a little guy like Mike Conley blocking LeBron James in my NBA playoffs bingo card.
.”
Conley’s block even got a postgame reaction from Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards.
“Man, did you see that? I was like ‘alright, old man’. Nah, that was dope,” Edwards told reporters after the game (h/t
Timberwolves Clips).
Conley scored just two points on 1-for-5 shooting from the field while missing all four attempts from behind the arc in Minnesota’s 116-113 Game 4 victory, but he had two assists and a rebound — plus that incredible shot rejection on James that fans will be talking about for some time. Meanwhile, Edwards led all scorers in the contest with 43 points on 12-for-23 shooting, countering the production of Lakers star Luka Doncic, who racked up 38 points.
Conley, who signed a two-year, $20.75 million contract extension with Minnesota, and the Timberwolves can close out the series and send the Lakers to an early vacation as soon as Wednesday, when both teams square off at Crypto.com Arena.
