LeBron James Downplays Confrontation With Dillon Brooks, Says They “Just Competed”
A nail-biting finish to the game between the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers involved Dillon Brooks, an NBA star who often becomes the center of attention. He had the chance to be a hero today. Instead, he ended up getting ejected because of an altercation with LeBron James. The King, however, doesn’t care too much of it.
Brooks hit a three with 15 seconds to go, giving the Suns the lead. But in a game where he went back and forth with James multiple times, Brooks decided to bask in glory and chest-bumped James. As a result, the refs decided to remove him.
James, however, didn’t reflect on this eventful night with Brooks negatively. He just saw the former Rockets man as a competitor. And that says volumes of James’ experience.
“He’s going to compete. I’m going to compete. We’re going to get up in each other’s face,” said James, who also received a technical foul in the third quarter of the game for trading insults with Brooks. “Tried not to go borderline with it.”
It was feisty, and wasn’t Brooks’ first-ever skirmish either. Over the years, he’s developed a reputation for trying to get under the opponents’ skin and has tried beefing, even with the likes of Stephen Curry. More often than not, however, he’s emerged the loser.
That’s exactly what happened at the end of the game. Brooks got a second-tech, which James insisted, was the right call. He left, and James got fouled while trying to shoot a three. He buried his free-throws and won the Lakers the game.
“I don’t really take it there. But we just competed,” James added. “And did that almost all the way to the end of the game.”
The Suns arguably threw this one away. Perhaps if Brooks had remained on the floor, the final play would have been different. James, meanwhile, despite exchanging his fair share of words, did not resort to a physical altercation. After 23 years in the league, he knows better.
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