Dillon Brooks was ejected late in the Phoenix Suns’ 116-114 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.
Brooks hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 12.2 seconds left over LeBron James and then picked up his second technical after exchanging words with James, a continuation of the pair jawing at one another throughout the entirety of Sunday’s game.
MARCUS SMART GETS BLOCKED AND DILLON BROOKS HITS THE LEAD TAKING THREE 😨💔 pic.twitter.com/YwcPsXMVTB
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) December 15, 2025
YOU CAN’T SCRIPT THIS ANY BETTER.
Dillon Brooks gives the Suns the lead.
Dillon Brooks chest bumps LeBron.
Dillon Brooks gets ejected. pic.twitter.com/yAM6EchBV3
— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) December 15, 2025
James missed the technical free throw, but the Lakers’ superstar was fouled on the ensuing possession and made two of three free throws to give the Lakers a 115-114 lead.
James blocked Grayson Allen’s attempt just before the buzzer, and just before time expired Collin Gillespie was called for a foul on Marcus Smart, who split a pair of free throws.
How did Suns take the lead after being down 20?
Ryan Dunn had a clutch block of Smart on a drive with 20 seconds left that got the Suns in transition. Devin Booker missed a 3 on the break but got his own rebound and found Brooks for the go-ahead 3.
Phoenix trailed 111-97 with 3:20 remaining before it used a 12-0 run with two 3s by Gillespie and four points from Booker, who led the Suns with 27 on the night, to cut the deficit to one possession inside the final minute.
James had a layup to answer the run and extend the Lakers’ lead to four before Brooks’ 3.
The late run came after Phoenix went 7:55 without scoring from 5:28 left in the third to 9:23 left in the fourth.
When did Brooks pick up first technical?
The hostility started early in the first quarter when Brooks ran into James and later pushed him. Brooks was assessed a technical foul on the play with 10:36 left in the first.
FULL MOMENT: Dillon Brooks picks up an early technical after running into LeBron James pic.twitter.com/4Ur5yzvhlz
— NBAbzy (@nbabzyy) December 15, 2025
The extracurriculars continued into the second quarter when a bump from James saw Brooks hit the deck. After a review to determine if it was worthy of a flagrant upgrade, James was called for an offensive foul.
Lebron and Dillion Brooks lmao pic.twitter.com/5ebMavbNyx
— Shabazz 💫 (@ShowCaseShabazz) December 15, 2025
The tension extended into the beginning of the second half, as the two players had to be separated. James was given a technical foul for aggressively pursuing Brooks.
got a kerfuffle with Dillon Brooks and LeBron pic.twitter.com/PUzhk576Co
— Cage (@ridiculouscage) December 15, 2025
Less than a minute later, Brooks was called for his fifth personal foul when James was guarding him. Before the ejection, foul trouble limited Brooks to 25 minutes. He had 18 points on 6 of 9 shooting.
James had 26 points on 8 of 17 shooting in 36 minutes.
Dillon Brooks and LeBron James rivalry goes back years
The tension between Brooks and James dates back to the 2023 playoffs when Brooks was playing for the Memphis Grizzlies against James’ Lakers.
After Game 2 of the series, Brooks said James called him “dumb” to which Brooks retaliated by calling James “old” and saying “I poke bears.”
Brooks later hit James in the groin during Game 3 of the series, resulting in an ejection for Brooks.
The bad blood continued into Brooks’ Suns tenure as the duo went after each other during the first matchup between the Suns and Lakers this season on Dec. 1.
In that matchup, Brooks got the better of James, as he held James to 10 points on 3-of-10 shooting in the Suns’ victory.
“He likes people that bow down,” Brooks said postgame. “I don’t bow down. That either entices him or it aggravates him, either or.”
Brooks had 33 points in 33 minutes on 15 of 26 shooting.
Catch the conclusion of Suns-Lakers on 98.7 and the Arizona Sports app.
