Spurs Center Breaks Silence After LeBron James Like Highlights in Game 7 vs OKC

The chase-down block has become one of LeBron James' signature moves ever since his incredible denial of Andre Iguodala in the 2016 NBA Finals. Naturally, other players have also made it part of their craft, and during Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, Luke Kornet channeled his inner LeBron against Isaiah Hartenstein.

Kornet tracked the OKC big man on the break, coming from seemingly nowhere to reject what would have been an easy basket otherwise.

"I did a poor job getting the catch, so I had to redeem myself," Kornet said post-game. "I was just coming back down and was able to make the play. And someone from the bench yelled, 'Who is it? LeBron James?'"

The Spurs were up 97-91 with around six minutes to go in the fourth quarter when Kornet became the 'LeBron of San Antonio' for the night. It seemed to siphon all the momentum away from the Thunder. He even joked afterward, "We'll see which one has more staying power in the record books of history."

James' block on Iguodala was also in Game 7, although it was in the NBA Finals against the greatest regular-season team of all time - the 73-9 Warriors. The Cavaliers had come back from 3-1 down in the series to force a decider, and with just two minutes left on the clock, the scores were tied.

Iguodala was driving the ball to the basket when James broke the Warriors' hearts, denying him at the last moment. As it did with Hartenstein, it seeped the energy out of the home crowd (the famous Oracle Arena), and the Cavs ended up winning by four.

Kornet's block, meanwhile, prevented the Thunder from cutting the Spurs' lead to 4, and may very well have stopped them from surging back into the game. San Antonio booked a Finals date against the New York Knicks by winning 111-103.

Kornet may have just been part of a play that could help deliver the Spurs' first NBA championship since 2014. But his block did not carry the same weight as James' iconic rejection of Andre Iguodala against Golden State in 2016. LeBron ultimately ended that season with the Larry O'Brien Trophy and the Finals MVP award.

Luke Kornet's role with the San Antonio Spurs

Kornet has been a steady contributor off the bench since joining the Spurs in 2025 on a four-year contract. He immediately carried forward the role he had embraced throughout his NBA career, serving as a reliable backup option.

Before arriving in San Antonio, Kornet averaged 5.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game across stints with the Knicks, Bulls, Cavaliers, Bucks, and Celtics. With the Spurs, those numbers improved, as his regular-season averages rose to 6.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. He filled the gap whenever Victor Wembanyama needed a breather, often doing so quietly but efficiently.

Kornet gave the Spurs a solid interior presence, grabbing boards, defending shots, and freeing up guards with screens. Throughout the season, he was great at that. Against the Thunder, however, his impact was severely limited.

Through the seven games, it almost seemed like the Spurs faltered every time he was subbed in for Wembanyama. In fact, he posted a negative plus-minus in Games 1 through 5. His least efficient outing came in Game 3, when the Spurs blew a strong 15-point lead after Wembanyama was subbed out. In that game, Kornet was a -18.

He redeemed himself in Games 6 and 7 in the same modest way he always has. He did not stuff the stat sheet, but his presence was more impactful in those final two games.

In Game 6, he posted a series-high +13 plus-minus. In Game 7, he was only a +1 in just over six minutes of action, but he did come up with that massive rejection of Isaiah Hartenstein to halt OKC's momentum. If the Spurs do go all the way, that block may go down as one of the most important plays of their postseason run.