Controversial Phoenix Suns enforcer Dillon Brooks is having the best season of his career after getting a chance from a new franchise. Brooks has had long-term issues with LeBron James over various on-court moments throughout their careers. The Los Angeles Lakers recently beat the Suns thanks in part to Brooks getting a technical foul in the final minute for taunting James after a clutch shot.
Brooks went further with a new quote calling LeBron a “junkie” for his online antics. “He is a social media junkie,” Brooks said. “I wish we would have let him shoot that shot and that would have been an air ball.” The comment features Brooks referencing that James got a controversial foul call on a three-point shot attempt to hit the winning free throws.
Multiple plays throughout that game showed LeBron and Brooks having intense moments with no love whatsoever. Brooks believes James is a social media junkie for how he handles himself online and pays attention to his image. LeBron ultimately outsmarted Brooks by getting two technical fouls to get him booted from the game during the most important moment.
Why Dillon Brooks Hates LeBron James
The Memphis Grizzlies tenure of Brooks’ career gave him a reputation for trying to get into the heads of opposing star players. Brooks was often tasked with defending superstars and loved to get physical in an effort to make them uncomfortable. James stood out at the top of that list after Memphis had a playoff series against the Lakers.
Various quotes and on-court moments have shown that LeBron doesn’t have much respect for how Brooks operates on the court. Brooks will stop at nothing to win, and James has inferred that he makes dirty plays on certain occasions. Sunday’s game gave us a moment of LeBron being held back by teammates after Brooks hit the ball off him before it went out of bounds.
The two will likely never get on the same page, unless they end up on the exact same roster together. Brooks’ role is to annoy and intimidate players like LeBron. However, these comments feel even more personal than just two on-court rivals clashing.
Is Dillon Brooks Right About LeBron?
The comments from Brooks this week focus on two criticisms against James. NBA fans know that LeBron cares a lot about his image since he’s among the biggest stars in sports history. James has been called out for silly moments pretending to read books and for enhancing stories to improve his public image.
Brooks tried to throw some shade at LeBron, knowing he’ll read the quotes and continue building more drama ahead of their next time facing off. The other side of the quote claimed that James would have air balled the go-ahead shot if the referees didn’t bail him out with a foul call.
LeBron did take a desperation shot with mere seconds left after Luka Doncic passed to him in a panicked move. Brooks is actually likely correct that James completely misses the basket taking such a difficult shot. The officials helped give the Lakers a chance to win a game they looked certain to drop.
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