"The present-day Lakers-Suns rivalry seems to spring from profound mutual disgust. This is best glimpsed in microcosm, via the "rivalry" between LeBron James and Dillon Brooks, two hammy fellows who love to pout and push each other around. Over the course of Sunday's Lakers victory, the duo reheated a beef that dates back to at least the 2023 postseason. "I poke bears," Brooks, then on the Grizzlies, said at the time. He also called James "old.""
"Since that juncture, he's only gotten older, and both players have changed in role. James continued his steady, graceful descent out of the league's elite. Brooks, one of the best defensive wings of his era, has been promoted to an aesthetically brutal but decently effective iso scorer, as he soaks up usage for a shorthanded Phoenix team. Some things never change, though: Put them on a court together and these two personalities will always clash in a range of strange, tedious, and funny ways."
LeBron James and Dillon Brooks embody mutual contempt that fuels the present-day Lakers–Suns rivalry. Their antagonism traces back to the 2023 postseason when Brooks said, "I poke bears" and called James "old." Since then, James has aged and moved out of the league's elite while Brooks shifted from elite defender to high-usage, aesthetically brutal iso scorer for a shorthanded Phoenix. In a recent game, the Lakers led 113–111 with 28.5 seconds left before Marcus Smart's layup was swatted by Ryan Dunn, Booker missed a three, and Brooks hit a go-ahead three to make it 114–113. The possession later devolved into on-brand self-sabotage.
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