Polarizing Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks found himself sitting courtside for the Los Angeles Lakers home game against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 4 of the semi-finals. LeBron James was shooting free throws when commentators and the cameras picked up on Brooks randomly sitting behind the basket. A viral moment saw Brooks laughing and staring dead at James right when he was going to take his foul shot attempts.
Brooks could have been innocently attending the game to witness playoff basketball, like a few other eliminated players have done. The Thunder eliminated Brooks and his Suns team in the first round via a decisive sweep. Tonight’s game features Oklahoma City having the chance to sweep another series with a 3-0 series lead over the Lakers and the latter’s playoff lives on the line.
However, Brooks is also known for being a troll and loving to get hostile with some of the top stars in the league. LeBron is considered one of Brooks’ main rivals due to their past of butting heads via physical plays and on-court trash talk. Brooks thankfully didn’t say anything to James tonight, but he certainly was amused when staring at LeBron during that moment.
Why Dillon Brooks Hates LeBron James
Brooks has developed a reputation in the league for being an enforcer and trying to get in the heads of his opponents. Superstars like LeBron, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant have been the primary targets of Brooks. Coaches often have Brooks defending the opponent’s best player to make it a battle all game long against these names.
The Memphis Grizzlies witnessed Brooks getting into it with LeBron on multiple occasions, and this has continued with multiple other teams since then. Brooks loves to talk trash to James and get physical to make him uncomfortable. Multiple moments of tension saw others having to separate them.
It is a realistic belief to assume that Brooks showed up knowing the cameras would find him behind the basket and that he’d get to laugh at his rival. James and the Lakers are expected to get eliminated quickly against the superior Oklahoma City team, with the end potentially coming tonight.
LeBron Negatively Impacted Dillon Brooks’ Career
LeBron has gotten the better of Brooks for most of their rivalry to ensure that the two will remain at odds. Memphis’ best chance of contending in the Ja Morant era featured a great regular season ending when the Lakers eliminated them as the lower seed in a first-round matchup.
Brooks constantly getting outperformed by James played a role in the Grizzlies ultimately choosing to trade him and move on. Stints with the Houston Rockets and Suns have seen Brooks continuing his drama with LeBron to show they clearly dislike each other to this day.
James has laughed at the idea of someone below him on the totem pole having a rivalry or trying to play mind games with him. However, tonight’s moment proves that the hostility is still as strong as ever. Next season will see their matchups quite exciting to watch, if LeBron returns to continue his iconic career.
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