A decade ago, in 2012, before he became one of the villains of the moment, Dillon Brooks I was just a teenager enjoying his Finals nba. After what Lebron James led the Miami Heat to the championship, wrote a tweet acknowledging LeBron’s greatness.
“It’s about dam time” champion Lebron James
— Dillon Brooks (@dillonbrooks24) June 22, 2012
How times have changed.
More than ten years later, his forward Memphis Grizzlies is located in the middle of a hot playoff series against James and the Lakers.
But this intense rivalry goes beyond the sports of this first round.
More | Dillon Brooks vs. LeBron James: Why Grizzlies Think He Can Stop The King In The Playoffs
The history of the fight between LeBron James and Dillon Brooks
LeBron James teases Dillon Brooks with the “he’s too young” gesture.
Is this where it all started?
Late in the fourth quarter of a game in January 2021, James hit several clutch shots over Brooks, then taunted him with his hand gesture “it is too small”.
The Shannon Sharp incident
In January 2023, Brooks had harsh words with Sharp, a James supporter who was close to the action in a courtside seat.
The initial conversation ended up involving several Grizzlies players and Ja Morant’s father, Tee.
ESPN video of Shannon and the Grizz + Tee Morant pic.twitter.com/wSbKc1jLz1
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) January 21, 2023
After this match, Brooks avoided a fight with Sharp by calling “blogger” to the member of the American Football Hall of Fame. However, he also had some words on how to defend James.
“He doesn’t want to go left. I was making him go left the whole game.”Brooks said. “Then he would either stop or pass the ball. And I was playing physical with him, defending him by hitting him all the time and not letting him take easy shots.”
Grizzlies’ Dillon Brooks on Lakers’ LeBron James: “He doesn’t want to go left. I was just making him go left the whole game. He would settle or pass the ball.” pic.twitter.com/nBJ9p3OslK
—Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) January 21, 2023
Dillon Brooks is asking to face LeBron James in the first round
Before the Lakers’ 2023 Play-In game against the Timberwolves, Brooks told reporters that not him “I’d be worried about playing LeBron in a seven-game streak.”
“The legacy is there. The first time he comes back in the playoffs, eliminate him immediately”Brooks said (via The Commercial Appeal’s Damichael Cole). “They will test us well. They have good pieces, good players. It will be a good first round match for us.”
Brooks got his wish. Los Angeles came away with a 108-102 overtime victory over Minnesota, setting up a No. 2 vs. No. 7 Western Conference matchup.
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LeBron James listens to Dillon Brooks’ conversation with coach Taylor Jenkins
James decided to eavesdrop on a conversation between Brooks and Jenkins during Game 1 of the first round.
you learned Pound the secret to beating the Grizzlies? Probably not.
Bron listens to Dillon Brooks’ conversation with Coach 😅 pic.twitter.com/e8HoBAKg8y
—SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 16, 2023
Game 2 Heats Up LeBron James-Dillon Brooks Battle
James hit a great shot over Brooks in the second half of Game 2 and started with garbage.
Bron chirps at Dillon Brooks after hard bucket 👀🍿 pic.twitter.com/SJO7PTFCNi
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 20, 2023
Brooks had the final say, making multiple threes in front of LeBron for the win.
Dillon Brooks starred under LeBron after that 3 👀 pic.twitter.com/8tkkrakCJW
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 20, 2023
X.DILLON. GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! pic.twitter.com/tRVViV4ZqO
— Bally Sports: Grizzlies (@GrizzOnBally) April 20, 2023
Brooks had plenty to say during his postgame media attention, calling out James “old” and saying he doesn’t respect opponents… “Until they come and give me 40 (points).”
Classic Dillon Brooks on his confrontation with LeBron James: “I don’t care. He sold. … I poke bears. I don’t respect someone until they give me 40.”
And Brooks had plenty more to say. pic.twitter.com/uWLONrubPZ
—Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) April 20, 2023
“It’s not at the same level as when I was in Cleveland winning championships or in Miami.”Brooks said (via ESPN’s Tim MacMahon ). “I wish I could have seen that. It would have been a harder task, but I’m playing with what I’ve got.”
“It’s just a matter of wearing him down over a seven-game stretch and seeing if he can handle it. See if he wants to play the one-on-one battle or if he wants to be on the sideline in shots.”
LeBron James chooses not to answer questions about Dillon Brooks
James faced multiple questions about Brooks the day before Game 3, but he didn’t take the bait.
“Tomorrow will be a great game”James said. “I’m not here for the controversy. I’m ready to play, and that’s it.”
After being asked generally oblique questions about Dillon Brooks’ comments, LeBron James interrupted his media availability with a simple message. pic.twitter.com/yVcWNWf5g4
—Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 21, 2023
The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of the NBA or its organizations.
