LeBron James doesn't take the bait, responds to Dillon Brooks with respect
Last season, Dillon Brooks goaded LeBron James during the playoffs. LeBron responded with a dominant performance on the court, and Brooks and his Memphis Grizzlies team were eliminated from the postseason.
Many fans believed Brooks was guilty of "poking the bear" and awakening the competition within LeBron.
The Los Angeles Lakers take on Houston Rockets Wednesday, and it will be the first time LeBron and Brooks have competed against each other since the postseason after the former Memphis agitator signed with Houston in the offseason.
If anyone thought Brooks would cool things down ahead of this marquee matchup, they were sorely mistaken. The Rockets swing man doubled down instead, saying he was going to lock LeBron down on defense.
Rather than bite back, LeBron praised Brooks during a recent post-practice interview, noting how he earned his new contract with the Rockets.
"Every player that is awarded a contract is awarded for a reason," James said. "They're worthy of the contract they get. In his case, he was worthy of the contract he got. He's put in the work since he's came out of Oregon. And that's how Houston found value in him...He's one of those guys who loves to compete, along with a lot of other guys in our league."
James is clearly taking the high road. Brooks is an agitator. He thrives on discourse. If LeBron responded in a "clap back" kind of way, he would have been playing into the Rockets star's hands. Instead, the Lakers veteran is killing him with kindness, removing Brooks' best tool heading into the game between those two teams.
Two decades into his NBA career, LeBron knows how to handle himself in the media. He knows when to bite back at players and when to let things slide. Brooks will undoubtedly try to ruffle James during the game, but he will likely fail in that attempt, too. LeBron is too savvy to be dragged into a back-and-forth with a player who is building a bad reputation for himself.
More must-reads: