Near the end of the fourth quarter in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ decisive victory over the New York Knicks on Wednesday night, big man Jarrett Allen came up with a steal and found himself with a free lane to the hoop.
Allen took advantage of the opportunity by throwing down a thunderous slam, and after the game, he explained that he was trying to look like Cavaliers legend LeBron James during the play. He admitted that he ended up looking like “nothing close” to James.
"I wanted to look like Bron trying to bring it back. I looked at the replay, nothing close" 😂
– Jarrett Allenpic.twitter.com/zn9PzlZbTe
— Cavaliers Nation (@WeAreCavsNation) April 3, 2025
James, who is long removed from his Cavaliers tenure and currently a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, took to Instagram and gave a wholesome response to Allen.
LeBron James and Jarrett Allen
Allen scored 21 points in Cleveland’s 61st win of the season and has been one of the Cavaliers’ most dependable players. He’s averaging a double-double of 13.9 points and 10.0 rebounds per game this season and has suited up in every one of the team’s 76 games thus far.
James, who is the NBA’s oldest active player, carved out two separate stints playing for the Cavaliers, and both were memorable. He spent the first seven seasons of his pro career in Cleveland and won two MVP awards in that time. He also helped the Cavaliers to their first NBA Finals appearance in franchise history in 2007.
James then returned to the Cavaliers ahead of the 2014-15 campaign after he spent several seasons with the Miami Heat, who helped him become a champion. His second stint in Cleveland spanned four seasons, and it marked the most successful era in franchise history.
The Cavaliers made the NBA Finals during every season in that stretch and won an NBA title in 2016 after pulling off a historic comeback against the Golden State Warriors in the championship series.
Allen and the current iteration of the Cavaliers will try to follow in James’ footsteps and add an NBA title to Cleveland’s collection soon. The team is in command of the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference with just six games remaining on its regular-season schedule. The playoffs are right around the corner.