“I feel like I always had him” – Dillon Brooks scrapes LeBron James as catalyst behind Lakers sweeping Grizzlies in playoffs

Dillon Brooks finally spoke out about his verbal clashes with LeBron James during last season's playoffs. The former Memphis Grizzlies player has been consistently criticized for his team's loss against the LA Lakers. Many have pointed to his trash-talking as a factor that worsened the situation for his team, ultimately resulting in a defeat at the hands of the Lakers.

Nevertheless, Brooks doesn't share the same sentiment. During an interview with Arash Madani of Sportsnet, Brooks emphasized that his trash-talking played no role in his team losing to the men in purple and gold.

“I feel like I always had him (LeBron James)," Brooks said. "I feel like that series was thrown upon me cause of the words that I say, but I’ve been saying things all year and we won 50 games.”

Brooks' antics took center stage during their Western Conference first-round series against the Lakers. After the Grizzlies' victory in Game 2, he went on a spirited rant, labeling LeBron James as "old" and proudly declaring that he likes to "poke bears." He added that he doesn't respect someone until they score 40 points on him.

As Game 3 approached, Brooks and James engaged in a heated pregame exchange. However, Brooks' actions didn't remain confined to verbal jabs. They escalated to a physical level when he was ejected from the same game for a below-the-belt hit to James.

Eventually, James and the Lakers defeated the Grizzlies in six games. While Brooks feels that he had James where he wanted him to be, many fans believe his actions did "poke the bear."

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LeBron James' sent out a tweet after the Lakers eliminated the Grizzlies

LeBron James

LeBron James and the Lakers secured a decisive 125-85 victory in Game 6 of last season's first-round playoff series.

The morning after, LeBron James didn't waste time sharing a tweet many interpreted as being aimed at Dillon Brooks. Using lyrics from Jay-Z, the Lakers superstar seemed to be sending a message to Brooks:

"Unlike you little 🤬 I'm a grown ass man Big shoes to fill 🤬, grown ass pants Prolly hustled with your pops, go ask your parents Its apparent you're staring at a legend Who, put a few little 🤬 in the they place before Trying to eat without saying they grace before! 🤫👑"

Interestingly, the Game 6 defeat at the hands of the Lakers turned out to be the last game Brooks played for the Grizzlies. Memphis sent him to the Houston Rockets in a sign-and-trade in July. He then signed a four-year, $80 million contract with Houston.