LeBron James has had several rivalries in the NBA. Yet, none might match the nature of the dynamic he shares with Dillon Brooks. The feud began with the then Grizzlies’ forwards’ underhand comments regarding the King. James responded with an emphatic postseason win. Since then, whenever the two collide, the temperature in the room rises.

Most recently, the duo were strangled yet again when the USA and Canada faced one another in Las Vegas. It was a battle of shoves, with again, James having the last laugh. By now Brooks should have developed some form of respect for James. Even though he might eventually, Brooks isn’t keen on handing it out right before the Olympics.

The Rockets’ defensive tyrant was asked about the three hardest players he has had to guard in his career so far. There was just one name who wasn’t Canadian. As most might have guessed, it wasn’t LeBron James.

“Luka. I think Shai and Andrew Nembhard,” the 28-year-old admitted while laughing.

His hysterical reaction was simply because his Canadian teammate Nembhard was sitting right next to him when Brooks was answering the question. But at the same time, his not including LeBron James meant only one thing, Brooks is still not done with the King. But as the seeds of their rivalry keep giving, the fans of the Lakers forward weren’t going to let the defensive stalwart rest without some trolling.

Dillon Brooks draws the ire of LeBron James fans

In no universe could Dillon Brooks not credit LeBron James without enraging his fans. And that’s just what followed when Brooks named his hardest players to guard. “LOL, Brooks forgot how many times LeBron put him in his place”, a fan wrote on X referring to the immense success James has had against Brooks.

Apart from playing a key role in USA’s win over Canada earlier this month, James had constantly got the better of the Rockets guard. In 21 career games, James has won 15 which includes the iconic 2023 playoff series win. The Akron Hammer’s clutch display against his bitter nemesis in Game 4 of that series ultimately laid the foundations for the unusual rift.

The mocking wasn’t over just yet. The LeBron James stans continued to remind Brooks of the past horrors the 21-year veteran has given to the Rockets forward. A fan even termed James to be Brooks’ father. “he forgot to mention his father King James,” the comment read.

In all the games against Dillon Brooks, LeBron James has averaged 24 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 7 assists. His most prolific game came during this season when the Akron Hammer dropped 37 points with Brooks as his primary man. Curbing James on that night was an exhausting task for the Rockets forward, which ended in agony as the Rockets lost by one point.

In the mix of the James army crucifying Dillon Brooks, one fan noticed something disturbing. “Woah. That was a villainous laugh” the X user wrote about Brooks’ reaction after naming the three toughest players he has had to guard.

In all fairness to the tenacious personality, each of the names Dillon Brooks mentioned has brought despair and nightmares for the Rockets member. Luka Doncic dropped 40+ points twice on the 28-year-old in just this season. On the other hand, SGA maintained his consistent 30ppg against his national teammate. Nembhard hasn’t had the chance, but he took a drastic leap during the postseason, especially in the last two losses to eventual champion, Boston Celtics.