Dillon Brooks found himself in a familiar place Monday night — right underneath LeBron James’ skin.
The Phoenix Suns star — who’s made a habit of annoying James in recent years — cruised into Crypto.com Arena for a matchup with the Lakers, and he spent a large portion of the evening torching L.A. and trolling the face of its franchise.
Brooks trash-talked the NBA’s all-time leading scorer throughout the Suns’ 125-108 win, and at one point he appeared to mock one of the Lakers superstar’s famous celebrations.
Dillon Brooks guarding LeBron on Monday. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Just after he blew by James and scored a transition dunk late in the second quarter, Brooks stared at James and exaggeratedly shrugged his shoulders twice.
Fans in the arena were quick to note how familiar the move looked, and sent jeers toward Phoenix’s forward.
Brooks finished the night with a team-high 33 points, and after the final whistle blew on the Suns’ 17-point victory over Los Angeles, he hurled a few more verbal barbs at James.
Brooks said he knew his rival — who scored just 10 points on 3-of-10 shooting in the loss — was bothered by his behavior, and then he added, “He likes people that bow down.
LeBron James during the Lakers’ loss. AP
James and Brooks last had major issues in the 2023 playoffs, when Brooks was a member of the Memphis Grizzlies and called James “old” and said he loved to “poke bears.”
Doesn’t seem there’s been any love lost between the two in the years since, and while Brooks has the last laugh at the moment, the Suns and Lakers will meet again in just a couple weeks on Dec. 23.