ESPN Star Gives Rare LeBron James Praise After Lakers-Timberwolves

Lakers star LeBron James received some praise from an old teammate after his performance against the Timberwolves.

Apr 19, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) reacts toward referee Brian Forte (45) after called for a foul on Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) in the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Lakers tied up their first-round matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves after a 94-85 victory in Game 2 of the series. Los Angeles looked much sharper defensively against the Wolves, especially defending the three-point line. Minnesota made a franchise record 21 three-point attempts in Game 1.

Los Angeles made a concerted effort to run the Timberwolves off the three-point line, starting with the Lakers backcourt. Superstar forward LeBron James helped ignite the defensive energy, recording a block and a steal in the game. Former New Orleans Pelicans center and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins praised James' defensive intensity in the game.

"Everybody was willing to do whatever it took to get this win."

Mini-Movie: Round 1, Game 2 🎥

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) April 25, 2025

"Bron set the tone defensively, all night long," Perkins said on the Road Trippin podcast. "He started off guarding Anthony Edwards, all of a sudden he's guarding Julius Randle, then I saw him guarding Rudy Gobert."

James' unique physique has allowed him to be extremely versatile on the defensive end for much of his career. The four-time NBA champion has been named to the All-Defensive First Team six times in his illustrious career, and even though he's reached the age of 40, James can still defend at a high level in spurts.

THIS IS 40. Your Western Conference Player of the Week: LeBron James. pic.twitter.com/JwVCrGAtxX

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) February 3, 2025

The Lakers will need to rely more on their defense as the series shifts to Minnesota for Games 3 and 4. Tuesday night's game marked the first time the Lakers won a game in which they scored less than 100 points all season. Without a true center, Los Angeles will need James to again solidly play defense on multiple positions against a younger, athletic Timberwolves team.

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