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Dillon Brooks Needled LeBron James Again With Subtle Move in Lakers’ Loss to Suns

Liam McKeone

Dillon Brooks and LeBron James added another chapter in their rivalry on Tuesday night.
Dillon Brooks and LeBron James added another chapter in their rivalry on Tuesday night. / House of Highlights on X
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The Suns beat the Lakers on Tuesday night in definitive fashion as Phoenix moved to 16-13 on the season with the 132-108 win. Dillon Brooks led the way with 25 points in another quality outing for the veteran wing. He also found another way to needle LeBron James.

Brooks and James’s rivalry is not new but the flames have definitely been fanned this season with the two players in the same division for the first time. In their most recent meeting, James received a rare technical foul for getting into it with Brooks, which the Suns wing returned in kind near the end of the game and earned himself an ejection. There weren’t quite the same level of fireworks on display last night, but Brooks found a way to seemingly get under James’s skin once more with a subtle move.

James was at the free-throw line and sunk his first attempt. As most players do, the Lakers star stuck his hands out for high-fives from teammates before lining up for the second attempt. But Brooks decided he wanted in on the action and slapped James’s hand after he high-fived Deandre Ayton.

James clearly noticed and said something about it; in response Brooks just stared at him.

The high-fiving of an opponent taking a free throw is a troll tactic dating back generations by NBA antagonizers. Brooks isn’t reinventing the wheel here. But his dedication to taking every opportunity to needle at James is certainly something.

Brooks seems to take some measure of pride in it, too. Earlier this month he was asked about his constant chatter directed at James and said the longtime superstar “likes people who bow down” and Brooks does not bow.

There’s a good chance the two meet again with more on the line than a regular season game in December, too. The Suns are one of the NBA’s more unexpected success stories this year, in large part because Brooks has been playing the best all-around basketball of his career. The Lakers have their flaws but still sit at 19-9 after Tuesday’s defeat and figure to be a prominent player in the West playoff race.

Which means the final meeting between L.A. and Phoenix could prove very consequential. The Lakers and Suns will next play on April 10 with the end of the regular season days later.

The last time James and Brooks clashed in the playoffs it was explosive and set off their rivalry. Perhaps the NBA world will be treated to a sequel.

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Liam McKeone
LIAM MCKEONE

Liam McKeone is a senior writer for the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in the industry as a content creator since 2017, and prior to joining SI in May 2024, McKeone worked for NBC Sports Boston and The Big Lead. In addition to his work as a writer, he has hosted the Press Pass Podcast covering sports media and The Big Stream covering pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University, he is always up for a good debate and enjoys loudly arguing about sports, rap music, books and video games. McKeone has been a member of the National Sports Media Association since 2020.

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