Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks (3) and Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) react during an altercation that resulted in a technical for Brooks during the second half of a game at at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-Imagn Images
Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-Imagn Images
The NBA has released the schedule for the 2026-27 season, and notably, the Phoenix Suns will take on the Philadelphia 76ers on Dec. 30, 2026. That also happens to be LeBron James‘ 42nd birthday, and as you’d imagine, Dillon Brooks wants to spoil the party.
Brooks was informed at his press conference on Friday about the 76ers game falling on James’ birthday, and he is even more motivated to win that contest now.
“Oh, that’s LeBron’s birthday, too?” Brooks asked, via the Suns. “He did tell me that in one of the playoff series. I’m excited. That’s more ammunition for me to win that game, but should be fun.”
Brooks then asked reporters if the game is in Phoenix, and was told it is. He had a big old smile on his face on hearing that, and it’ll be interesting to see what antics he is going to be up to then.
While most players try not to poke the bear that is James, Brooks has done so repeatedly over the years. He is one of the NBA’s premier agitators and looks forward to those matchups.
Just this past season, we saw Brooks taunt James when the Suns took on the Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 1, 2025. Then, in another matchup not long after on Dec. 14, things got heated between them, and the Canadian ended up getting ejected. Brooks was not at all happy about that and fired multiple shots at James days later. He wasn’t done, though.
In January, Brooks called James the most overrated player in the NBA. Mind you, he was saying all this with the Lakers and the Suns both being in the Pacific Division. They faced off five times last season, but he wasn’t worried about his comments coming back to bite him.
Now with James signing with the 76ers, Brooks and the Suns will only face him twice next season. That led to the 30-year-old being asked if he’s disappointed he won’t get to see the 22-time All-Star as often.
“No, not at all,” Brooks said. “But it’ll build up for the games that we play.”
Expect some shots to be fired in the lead-up to that Suns-76ers game.
Dillon Brooks On Extending With The Suns
Brooks, of course, held this press conference because he just signed a three-year, $73 million extension with the Suns. He is now under contract through 2030, and was asked here how it felt to get that deal done.
“It was good,” Brooks said. “Great and long conversations. I think [Brian Gregory], Josh [Bartelstein] planned out something that is going to be for the long term, and I wanted to be here for the long term. So whatever it was, I was going to accept it and be a Phoenix Sun.”
The Suns acquired Brooks from the Houston Rockets as part of the Kevin Durant trade in the 2025 offseason. They were expected to be one of the worst teams in the NBA last season without Durant, but surpassed expectations.
The Suns posted a 45-37 record and entered the playoffs as the eighth seed in the Western Conference. The Oklahoma City Thunder swept them in the first round, but the campaign was still a positive.
Brooks was a big reason why. He averaged 20.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game in 2025-26. It was arguably Brooks’ best season, and he’s looking to build on it.