LeBron James spoke to NBA reporters after the Los Angeles Lakers wrapped up their shootaround ahead of their game against the Houston Rockets and The King surprisingly praised Dillon Brooks. Check it out:
LeBron James credited Dillon Brooks’ competitive nature at shootaround in Houston and said he earned the contract he got from the Rockets coming off the Grizzlies-Lakers playoff series. pic.twitter.com/BHrDGdBybz
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) November 8, 2023
LeBron and Brooks faced each other in the first round of the 2023 playoffs. Brooks called LeBron “old” after the Memphis Grizzlies won Game 2 and was ejected in Game 3 after hitting LeBron in the groin. The Lakers beat the Grizzlies in six games.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Dillon Brooks, LeBron James, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers Updates
Brooks told Rockets reporters that he’s ready to lock up LeBron. It will certainly be fun to watch LeBron and Brooks go head-to-head in Houston.
Brooks is off to a solid start with the Rockets. He’s averaging 16.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists while shooting 59.3% from the field, 56.5% from beyond the arc and 93.8% from the free-throw line.
The Grizzlies did not re-sign Brooks this past offseason because they did not like the shots the swingman took on offense. Brooks joined the Rockets on a four-year, $86 million contract as part of a sign-and-trade deal with the Grizzlies, a contract LeBron said the Oregon product earned.
“I think the reasons the Grizzlies were ready to move on from him are misunderstood,” ESPN’s Tim MacMahon said on Zach Lowe’s podcast. “The nonsense was kind of like at a point where culturally, it was time. That was not the primary reason. The primary reason the Grizzlies were trying to replace Dillon Brooks for a full two years — repeatedly going after players that would have replaced him in the trade market — and he probably would have been sent out, was because of the shot selection issue.”
For the Lakers, LeBron is averaging 25.3 points, 8.4 rebounds and 5.9 assists while shooting 56.1% from the floor, 32.5% from 3 and 65.0% from the foul line. He is still one of the best players in the NBA despite being 38 years old.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Dillon Brooks, LeBron James, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers Updates
The Rockets are 3-3, while the Lakers are 3-4. Los Angeles is 0-4 on the road.
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