The Dillion Brooks and LeBron James saga continues, as the Houston Rockets recently matched up against the Los Angeles Lakers. Brooks, who was seen going at LeBron from the very beginning, was mostly playing a one-sided grudge match. This whole drama between Brooks and LeBron started last season when Brooks was still on the Memphis Grizzlies.
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After getting booted by LeBron and The Lakers in just six games, Brooks who played poorly during the series (10.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists in six games) was thoroughly outplayed by James. Even after being let go by the Grizzlies, and now playing for the Rockets, Brooks seems to still hold on to some hate against the King.
During the recent contest between James and Brooks, Brooks decided to talk smack the whole time, incessantly calling “travel” on multiple LeBron plays. Even a video from the game recently surfaced on social media, where Brooks can be heard telling LeBron, “I am on your head.”
Even though Brooks seems to have some unresolved trauma when it comes to losing to LeBron, the same can’t be said about the King. The king has been all praise for Brooks, as even when the whole world was trolling the Rockets for signing Brooks, LeBron took Brooks’s side, telling ESPN that,
“I think every player that is awarded with a contract is awarded for a reason, and they’re worthy of the contract that they get…So I think in his case, he was worthy of the contract he got. He’s put in the work since he came out of Oregon, and that’s what Houston found value in and he’s here. So no, I think it has nothing to do with that.”
LeBron wanted some ‘smoke’
Ever since receiving his $80 million contract from the Rockets, Brooks has made it clear that he wants to guard the best of the best. The 2023 FIBA World Cup, Defender of The Tournament, has taken his defensive assignments very seriously this season. But during the game against the Lakers, James made it amply clear that he wasn’t going to back down to anyone either.
Opening the game strong, LeBron decided to back Brooks down, as he took the Rockets forward down the paint. After finishing the shot, LeBron kept it professional, but it was clear that LeBron added a little extra to the shot.
However, the game was never really a contest, with the Rockets leading by as much as 30 points during stints of the game. But the contest between LeBron and Brooks was pretty much lop-sided as well. James posted a stat line of 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists, while Brooks only managed 5 points, 4 rebounds, and a single assist.
Even though Brooks is a decent player and a good defender, there are still tiers in this game. Just like what happened last season, Brooks couldn’t match LeBron and neither shut him down. Even after Brooks called LeBron ” Old” during last year’s playoffs, he and the Grizzlies still got bounced off the court in just six games. With the season having just begun, it would be interesting to see how the beef between Dillon Brooks and LeBron transpires.
