Fansided

Dillon Brooks brings bad blood with LeBron James to Canada-USA friendly

Will Dillon Brooks ever learn than challenging LeBron James only leads to ruin? No. The answer is definitively no.

By Alicia de Artola

Jan 29, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks (9) reacts toward Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) after scoring a basket during the fourth quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 29, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks (9) reacts toward Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) after scoring a basket during the fourth quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
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If you thought the LeBron James-Dillon Brooks rivalry was finished, think again.

Brooks and James faced off on opposite sides of Wednesday night's friendly between Team USA and Canada. As you could have guessed, he made sure things got chippy.

It would seem Brooks' reputation precedes him as fans at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas received him with a hardy round of boos during player introductions and every time he touched the ball during the game.

Since Brooks and James were on the floor together, it didn't take long for a very minor confrontation to pop up.

In the grand scheme of things, that interaction was nothing, but it did plenty to feed the narrative around Brooks and his immense dislike of James going back to their NBA matchups.

Dillon Brooks loves nothing more than to provoke LeBron James

The bad blood reached its peak during the 2023 NBA Playoffs when Brooks poked the bear by calling James "old." He didn't exactly back up that talk, playing poorly for the Grizzlies throughout the series and being ejected from one game for striking the Lakers star in the groin.

In January, Brooks was hit with a Flagrant 1 for smacking James in the head during a game with the Rockets.

So yeah, when it comes to James, Brooks is prone to getting overly physical. That approach has mostly backfired with LeBron responding to the challenge just about every time.

Cameras will be watching both players with an eagle eye throughout the matchup anticipating more fireworks.

Canada got off to a fast start against Team USA but the Americans turned around a 21-14 deficit after the first quarter to take the lead in the second.

James started for USA alongside Steph Curry, Devin Booker, Jrue Holiday and Joel Embiid.

Brooks started for Canada with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jamal, Murray, RJ Barrett and Dwight Powell.

In the lead up to the Paris Olympics, Team USA will play friendlies against Australia, Serbia, South Sudan and Germany.

Once group play begins in France, James and company will face off with Serbia, South Sudan and Puerto Rico. Canada is in a group with Australia, Greece and Spain. The North American rivals could meet up again in the knockout stage.

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