LeBron James and Dillon Brooks had to battle it out on the court during Lakers-Suns game on Sunday.
Sunday night’s Lakers–Suns game was advertised as basketball. What we actually got was reality TV with sneakers, whistles, and very expensive egos. The main event? LeBron James versus Dillon Brooks. One is a four-time champion and living legend. The other is a professional agitator who treats trash talk like an Olympic sport.
FULL MOMENT: Dillon Brooks picks up an early technical after running into LeBron James pic.twitter.com/4Ur5yzvhlz
— NBAbzy (@nbabzyy) December 15, 2025
From the jump, the tension was loud. Not “crowd noise” loud. Personal loud. LeBron had that locked-in stare that says, “I’ve seen this move before, and I still win at the end.” Dillon Brooks had that look that says, “I don’t care who you are, I’m annoying everyone tonight.” Match made in chaos.
Lebron and Dillion Brooks lmao pic.twitter.com/5ebMavbNyx
— Shabazz 💫 (@ShowCaseShabazz) December 15, 2025
To recap it all, let’s start at the very beginning of the game when an appropriate tone was set barely a minute into the game when Brooks got a technical for an early brouhaha with LeBron.
Normally, LeBron is able to tune out Brooks but Sunday was not normal times, so things escalated in the first half to LeBron committing an offensive foul on Brooks.
You could tell Brooks wasn’t ready to let the loose on LeBron James.
LeBron got tech after having words with Dillon Brooks 😳 pic.twitter.com/yYiEEQeRpV
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 15, 2025
Brooks wasn’t done in the first half as he picked up his fourth foul in typically silly Brooks fashion, fouling LeBron on a layup in the closing seconds of the quarter. Things quickly boiled over in the third quarter, though.
After a foul on Brooks by Luka negated a LeBron block, Brooks swatted the ball out of the air and into LeBron. This was clearly the straw that broke the camel’s back and LeBron had had enough.
Unfortunately, the Suns’ announcers weren’t the only ones to have an insane take on this. Taking zero other context from the game or Brooks’ career into account, the refs deemed that Brooks did not make intentional contact with the ball.
Instead, the only punishment handed out was a technical on LeBron for going chest to chest with Brooks. At that time, it was a very frustrating play, but put a pin in that one.
In the end of all the chaos, Dillon Brooks ended up watch the game from the bench.
Dillion Brooks v Lebron always hilarious man https://t.co/LBdTVTBbtl pic.twitter.com/7qlfMMQXX4
— Shabazz 💫 (@ShowCaseShabazz) December 15, 2025
Brooks then had to sit on the bench and watch the Lakers pull ahead and away from the Suns, building up a 20-point lead. After a 3-pointer by LeBron early in the fourth put visitors up 18, LeBron let Brooks have it.
Basketball fans ate. Drama fans feasted. And the NBA once again proved that sometimes the best entertainment isn’t the score. It’s the smoke.
LeBron talking shit to Dillon Brooks! #bballunlockedtv pic.twitter.com/orSGJCjK9h
— BBALLUNLOCKEDTV (@bballunlockedtv) December 15, 2025
