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Ahead of his first road game of the season against the LA Lakers on Sunday, Houston Rockets wing Dillon Brooks was received harshly by fans. Brooks, who became public enemy No. 1 in LA during the 2023 NBA playoffs, was met with deafening boos after being introduced at Crypto.com Arena.
Brooks infamously called out Lakers superstar forward LeBron James after Game 2 of the Memphis Grizzlies’ first-round series against LA in April. Brooks referred to James as “old” and demonstrated a general lack of respect for the NBA’s all-time leading scorer:
“I poke bears. I don't respect no one until they come and give me 40 [points],” Brooks said.
Brooks’ comments backfired, as the second-seeded Grizzlies, who were tied 1-1 with the seventh-seeded Lakers, went on to lose three of their next four games. Meanwhile, Brooks struggled mightily, averaging 10.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.2 steals and 1.7 3-pointers per game on 31.2% shooting over six games.
Following their 4-2 series loss, the Grizzlies opted to let Brooks leave in free agency. The Rockets took advantage of the opportunity, agreeing to a sign-and-trade with Memphis which allowed them to acquire Brooks on a four-year, $86 million deal.
So far, Brooks has brought his signature toughness to a young Houston team. The Rockets entered Sunday as one of the biggest surprises in the NBA, with a 6-4 record after finishing 22-60 last season.
Brooks and the Rockets previously blew out LA 128-94 at home on Nov. 8. So the Lakers (7-6) will be looking to redeem themselves on Sunday.
Dillon Brooks doesn’t regret comments about LeBron James
Ahead of Sunday’s matchup against the Lakers, Dillon Brooks was asked if he regrets making comments about LeBron James during the 2023 playoffs. However, in typical Brooks fashion, he instead doubled down on his stance:
“No, I still feel the same way,” Brooks told Fox Sports.
Brooks was later asked if he believes that he can go toe to toe with any star in the league. He said that he has to, as his extreme confidence is what makes him successful:
“Yeah, that's exactly how I feel,” Brooks said.
“I wouldn't be in this position if I wasn't like that. People wouldn't want me on their team if I wasn't like that. It's better for me. It gets me going every single day to play the best of the best.”
Through his first 10 games with Houston, Brooks is averaging 12.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.1 spg and 1.6 3pg on a career-best 53.6% shooting.
