- Dillon Brooks antagonized LeBron James during the playoffs, calling the 38-year-old James "old."
- James and the Lakers out-played the Grizzlies to eliminate them from the playoffs.
LeBron James appeared to take great satisfaction from eliminating Dillon Brooks and the Memphis Grizzlies from the NBA playoffs.
James' feud with Brooks arguably became the focal point of the series. During the Grizzlies' Game 2 win over the Lakers, James and Brooks exchanged words several times during the course of the game, with Brooks even shouting in James ' face after a fourth-quarter three-pointer.
After that Game 2, Brooks was asked by reporters about his confrontations with James. Brooks responded by calling the 38-year-old James "old."
"I poke bears. I don't respect no one until they come and give me 40 [points]. I pride myself on what I do on defense and taking any challenge on the board," he added.
Things didn't go Brooks' way from that point on.
From Games 3 to 6, Brooks shot just 28% from the field and 22% from three, and the Grizzlies were outscored by 13 points per 100 possessions while he was on the floor. He also got ejected in Game 3 for a flagrant foul after swinging at James' groin.
—ESPN (@espn) April 23, 2023
And while James never scored 40 points against him, the Lakers did beat the Grizzlies by 40 points in Game 6 to send Memphis home.
James had largely avoided speaking directly about Brooks during media sessions.
But on Twitter, James tweeted lyrics to Jay-Z's "Trouble," which seemed like a shot at Brooks.
—LeBron James (@KingJames) April 29, 2023
James also posted an Instagram with the caption, "If you ever see me fighting in the forest with a Grizzly bear, HELP THE BEAR" — an apparent reference to Brooks' "poke the bear" comment.
Brooks' attitude on his feud with James seemed to evolve. After Game 3, he blamed the media and fans for making him look like a "villain," saying that reputation played into his ejection for hitting James in the groin, according to ESPN's Tim MacMahon.
However, on Sunday, in a season-ending press conference with reporters, Brooks said he didn't regret the shots he took at James.
"No, that's who I am," Brooks said when asked if he regretted the comments, according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal. "I don't regret it. I'm a competitor. I compete."