Phoenix Suns star Dillon Brooks is known for getting under the skin of his opponents during games, and he also has a history of clashing with future Hall of Famer LeBron James on multiple occasions.
The pair renewed their supposed feud when the Lakers hosted the Suns on Sunday. And though the Lakers won the game 116-114, the highlight of the night was the back-and-forth between James, 40, and Brooks, 29.
With 12.2 seconds left to play in the fourth quarter, Brooks was ejected from the game after a second technical foul was called on him for bumping James. Brooks’ ejection came shortly after he made a crucial three-pointer while being guarded by James.
“I just like to compete,” James told reporters when he was asked about competing with Brooks, per Bleacher Report. “He’s going to compete. I’m going to compete. We’re going to get up in each other’s face. Try not to go borderline with it. I don’t really take it there. But we’re just competing and did that almost all the way to the end of the game.”
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James, who is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, also stated that the referees made the right call by calling the technical foul on Brooks and ejecting him.
“That’s definitely a tech,” James said. “If it was a tech on me in the [third quarter], then it was a tech on him right here, too.”
Though James appeared to make contact with Brooks when he made the three-pointer, the referees allowed the game to go ahead. Brooks seemingly bumped into James because of that.
This isn’t the first time James and Brooks have clashed during games. During the 2023 NBA playoffs, Brooks, who was then playing for the Memphis Grizzlies, went at James during a post-game interview.
“I don’t care — he’s old. You know what I mean?” Brooks said in reference to James. “I was waiting for that. I was expecting him to do that Game 4, Game 5. He wanted to say something when I got my fourth foul. He should have been saying that earlier on. But I poke bears. I don’t respect no one until they come and give me 40.”
The Lakers and Suns will square off in three more games this season, with their next match scheduled for December 23, per Bleacher Report. Fans will be waiting to see if James and Brooks will renew their feud during their next meeting.
SUNS-LAKERS ENDING WAS WILD ????
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 15, 2025
Dillon Brooks EJECTED after clutch 3, LeBron FOULED on three point attempt, hits free throws to win it for the Lakers pic.twitter.com/ptWQpHyzNL
