LeBron James and the Lakers saw a familiar face in Dillon Brooks at home for their elimination Game 4 contest against the Thunder on Monday. Brooks was courtside, rocking an all-black outfit with grillz. He went viral after seemingly chirping at James, who was at the free-throw line in the first quarter.
Brooks was cheesing, looking at James step up to attempt his free throws when the cameras pointed at him. It quickly became a hilarious talking point online as fans suggested he was “hate-watching” the 41-year-old Lakers star in potentially his final NBA game.
Brooks and James have had a storied rivalry over the past three years since they matched up for the first time in the 2023 NBA playoffs. Brooks has publicly hinted that he doesn’t fear James as much, given his age. He went after the Lakers star several times since then, throwing viral verbal jabs. Even their matchups since then in the regular season have been intense, with neither backing down.
Here are some of the best fan reactions to Dillon Brooks seemingly doing everything he can to bother LeBron James, even when they weren’t matched up on the court:
“Dillon is a real life super villain bro,” one fan said.
“Pulling up to watch LeBron possibly get swept by the team you got swept by in an earlier round is not a villain move,” another wrote.
“Brooks loves hating more than basketball itself,” one fan added.
“This the level and hate and pettiness we need in the NBA,” another said.
“This the type of hater I aspire to be,” one fan wrote.
LeBron James and Lakers off to a solid start as they look to avoid elimination
LeBron James and the Lakers were off to their best start in a game during this series in Monday’s Game 4. After the Thunder took a 14-8 lead, the Lakers hit back with a 9-0 run. The Thunder, being the great team they are, stopped the bleeding, but LA finished the quarter on a strong note, limiting OKC to 21 points, while the Lakers had 26.
James scored six points, while Reaves had five. Multiple other Lakers players got on the scoresheet. The Lakers have struggled to hold onto early leads this series. During the past two games, they led at half, but the Thunder swung games in the third quarter, and it ended in blowout losses for the Purple and Gold.
JJ Redick will hope that isn’t the case on Monday as the Lakers hope to salvage pride and avoid a sweep.
