85 million views! Blake responds to the 1v4 dunk of the century: I’ve probably watched the replay 20 times

On January 19th Beijing time, according to NBA official data, Magic player Blake’s fast-break dunk over four defenders in Berlin has become the most viewed highlight across all NBA social platforms this season, with views reaching 85 million and still climbing.

“I probably watched the replay about 10, 15, 20 times,” Blake said. “I got the ball, saw only one defender in front of me, and the others were slow to recover, so I tried to get past my defender.”

It wasn’t until Blake returned to the bench and someone showed him the dunk replay on an iPad that he realized what he had just done.

“Honestly, I only saw Santi (Ardama) jump. He was the only defender I noticed at the time. It wasn’t until I saw the replay back on the bench that I realized, ‘Oh, that’s what happened,’” Blake said. “I just saw an open lane with no one in the paint, so I felt confident to jump and finish the dunk.”

Within 5 feet of the basket, Blake’s shooting percentage is as high as 62.9%, with an average of 5 attempts per game, thanks to his increased aggression attacking the rim.

Although several Grizzlies players were rushing back to stop the fast break, Blake was completely immersed in the moment and didn’t realize he was surrounded.

“I had no idea,” Blake said. “Honestly, I thought it was a foul, so I just decided to dunk it. My defender was positioned low. Santi hadn’t fully jumped, so I only noticed him and didn’t see the others jump.”

Grizzlies forward GG Jackson revealed that Blake even joked with him about becoming the backdrop for that dunk.

GG Jackson said, “I was in the corner, but after playing in the league for a while, you always want to hustle back and show effort. When I jumped, I saw Jaren (Jackson Jr.) flying in from my left, and I thought, ‘He’s either going to foul or block this shot.’”

“Then he jumped, and I didn’t even see if the ball went in—I just heard him shouting at us. He’s also a good friend of mine, Anthony Blake. We played together on the USA U18 or U16 national team a few years ago. He told me he plans to hang a picture of that dunk somewhere in his house. I told him, ‘At least I get to be remembered in some way for this greatest dunk ever.’”