LeBron James is still the most respected and revered player in the NBA, and undoubtedly one of the greatest to ever play the sport, but that doesn't stop some of his rivals from pushing his buttons on the court.
In the final minutes of the Lakers' 116-114 win over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night, James got into a rare spat on the court with arguably the league's biggest pest, Dillon Brooks.
Brooks and James came together early in the fourth quarter and had a dust-up on the baseline, with referees and teammates quickly stepping in. But LeBron was visibly animated, shoving the official out of the way as he pleaded his case for discipline against Brooks. The future Hall-of-Famer was assessed a technical foul for touching the referee.
Later, with just 12.2 seconds on the clock, Brooks nailed a three-pointer over LeBron to put the Suns ahead 114-113, but was bowled over by the Lakers' superstar in the process.
Upset about not getting a foul call on the play, the Canadian guard confronted James chest-to-chest, shoving him and seemingly sharing some choice words with the four-time NBA MVP.
Brooks was assessed a technical foul for his reaction — his second of the night — and was ejected from the game.
James was then fouled on a three-point attempt, and sank two of three shots from the charity stripe to put the Lakers ahead by one. The 40-year-old ended the night with 26 points, three rebounds and four assists, as well as two blocks and two steals for a complete performance.
Brooks, meanwhile, managed 18 points on 6-for-9 shooting from the field.
LeBron was diplomatic in his post-game media availability, saying he and Brooks were simply "competing".
"I just like to compete," James told reporters following the win. "He's going to compete. I'm going to compete. We're going to get up in each other's face. Try not to go borderline with it. I don't really take it there. But we're just competing and did that almost all the way to the end of the game."
LeBron and Brooks Have a History
Dillon Brooks LeBron JamesDillon Brooks defends LeBron James during a playoff game between the Memphis Grizzlies and the LA Lakers. Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The beginning of the feud between LeBron James and Dillon Brooks goes back to the 2023 postseason, when the then Memphis Grizzlies guard publicly antagonized James during their first round playoff series. Brooks called James "old" and declared that he has no issues "poking the bear", claiming he won't respect anyone until they score 40 points on him.
While LeBron never managed to drop 40 points that series, he did average 22.2 points, 11.2 rebounds and 5.2 assists as the Lakers put the Grizzlies away in six games.
After leading LA to the series win, James posted a picture to Instagram with the caption, “If you ever see me fighting in the forest with a Grizzly bear, HELP THE BEAR.” — lyrics from a viral freestyle from rapper Mystikal.
Safe to say LeBron keeps getting the last laugh despite Brooks' best efforts at antagonizing The King.
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