The feud between Dillon Brooks and LeBron James only grew before game three, and things seemed to come to a head in the first game of the series in Los Angeles.
Brooks was ejected from Game 3 on Saturday vs Lakers Early in the second half after being evaluated with a missile strike 2 to hit LeBron James in the thigh.
As James was trying to dribble the ball up the court, Brooks took him before half court in order to apply some pressure. As James tried to dribble behind his back, Brooks reached out with a left hand, eventually hitting the Lakers star in a rather unfortunate position.
James fell in pain and lay on the floor for a moment while the officials gathered to discuss the incident, which ultimately led to Brooks’ ejection from the competition.
Dillon Brooks flicked to get the 2nd fender for this hit on LeBron
– LakeShowYo (LakeShowYo) April 23, 2023
Having taken on the mantle of the NBA’s greatest villain, Brooks tried to get under James’ skin earlier in the series, calling the 19-time All-Star “old” and suggesting he wouldn’t respect the Lakers superstar until he had 40 points against him.
The Grizzlies assigned Brooks the job of guarding James for much of the series, but his antics on Saturday led to an early trip to the locker room for the 27-year-old.
Brooks led the NBA with 18 technical fouls during the regular season, which resulted in the former Oregon Duck missing two games.