When LeBron James and Dillon Brooks face off, the general anticipation is to expect gritty and physically aggressive basketball. And they certainly lived up to the reputation of the rivalry tonight as the Lakers faced the Suns in Phoenix.
LeBron James got heated during the third quarter when Luka Doncic was called for a foul while James was guarding Brooks. James did not take it lightly when Brooks (although unintentionally) hit Doncic with the ball after the foul was called.
I haven’t seen LeBron this heated in a while 😳pic.twitter.com/9pWKxd7Frd
— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) December 15, 2025
Subsequently, the players needed to be separated as James erupted in rage at Brooks and the officials. Rui Hachimura was forced to hold James back, as it seems like he was ready to charge at the referees.
This play seemed to be the last straw, a culmination of several incidents throughout the game that triggered the 40-year-old Lakers veteran. NBA fans saw this incident and expressed their feelings on social media about what transpired on the court.
“LeBron never gets a technical for his behavior. Shoving the ref like that.”
“Anyone else gets tossed for putting hands on an official.”
“Brooks did nothing wrong; Bron was just overly emotional.”
Some fans questioned the officials for allowing such a reaction from James. While he was assessed a technical foul, we’ve seen ejections for much less than grabbing an official.
Fans of LeBron James and the Lakers, however, turned it on Brooks and criticized his behaviour on the court.
“It brought me so much joy when Steph cooked him last season.”
“That’s what Brooks wants; you are letting him win.”
“Brooks is still salty about MEM and the way Bron punked him in the playoffs.”
Earlier in the second quarter of the game, James put Brooks on the ground and was called for an offensive foul.
Lebron and Dillion Brooks lmao pic.twitter.com/5ebMavbNyx
— Shabazz 💫 (@ShowCaseShabazz) December 15, 2025
The Lakers ended up blowing apart the close battle in the 4th quarter as they got their biggest lead in the game: 20 points (79-99). There was constant chatting between the duo on the court as Brooks was visibly focusing his defensive attention on LeBron James and Luka Doncic only.
The Suns rallied back into the game in the clutch moments, as what was looking like a blowout loss for the Suns at one point (20-point difference in the fourth quarter) became a two-point game with less than a minute left to go.
The Lakers choked the 20-point lead down the stretch as the Suns rallied back and took a 114-113 lead with 12.2 seconds left in the game.
Subsequently, another controversial incident broke out after Dillon Brooks took the three-point shot to take the lead. Without any provocation, Brooks intentionally bumped into LeBron James.
Lmao Dillon Brooks man pic.twitter.com/8LAcKTKJSl
— Shabazz 💫 (@ShowCaseShabazz) December 15, 2025
Consequently, Brooks was ejected from the game on a technical foul, James missed the game-tying free throw, but the Lakers still had the ball. He exited the game with 18 points, 1 rebound, and 1 steal while shooting 66.7% from the field.
James got the last laugh in that situation as he was fouled on a three-point shot by Devin Booker with 3.9 seconds left in the game. He hit two of the three resulting free throws and helped the Lakers seal a 116-114 win in Phoenix to get revenge for their loss earlier in December.
The Lakers veteran ended the game with 26 points, three rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and two steals, stuffing the box score efficiently while shooting 47.1% from the floor.
It will be interesting to see what these two players say about each other in the postgame press conference.
