Suns' Brooks labels LeBron James the most overrated NBA player

Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Suns' Dillon Brooks labels LeBron James the most overrated NBA player

By Olamilekan Ajayi | Last updated Feb 1, 2026 9:33 AM ET

Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks, a 30-year-old Canadian wing from Mississauga, Ontario, known around the NBA for his confrontational defense, dropped a comment on Saturday that set off a storm online.

During a live Twitch stream with content creator N3on, Brooks was asked directly: who is the most overrated player in the NBA? He didn't hesitate.

"I would probably say LeBron right now," Brooks said. "I feel like he overrated right now, his time is coming to an end."

The target of that remark, LeBron James, is a 41-year-old Los Angeles Lakers forward in his 23rd season, the NBA's all-time leading scorer and a four-time champion. Brooks and James have gone back and forth for years. This one landed differently. It came off the court, on camera, with no prompting.

NBA star Dillon Brooks tells Neon that LeBron James is the most overrated player in the NBA pic.twitter.com/l1hqxrdNzq
— FearBuck (@FearedBuck) February 1, 2026

Dillon Brooks has said worse to LeBron James before

The history between these two goes back to the 2022-23 NBA playoffs, when Brooks was still in Memphis. After Game 2 of that first-round series against James' Lakers, Brooks called James "old" and added, "I poke bears. I don't respect no one until they come and give me 40." Memphis lost that series badly.

Brooks left the Grizzlies that summer, spent two years in Houston, then got dealt to Phoenix in July 2025 as part of a seven-team trade that sent Kevin Durant to the Rockets. It put him right back in James' path.

The most recent blow-up came on Dec. 14. Brooks hit a go-ahead three with 12.2 seconds left, then went chest-to-chest with James. Second technical of the night. Ejected. The Lakers won 116-114.

Three days later, Brooks told reporters, "He thinks people should think a certain way about him. I'm not going to play that way."

Numbers don't back up the "overrated" claim

Without any dispute, Brooks is entitled to his take. The stats, though, are hard to argue with. Through 30 games this season, James is averaging 21.9 points, 6.6 assists and 5.8 rebounds on 50.2 percent shooting. He's 41.

For reference, the average NBA player over 40 puts up about 6.6 points a game. James is scoring at more than three times that clip.

Brooks, for his part, is putting together the best season of his career. He's averaging 21.1 points across 43 games with Phoenix. He scored 27 on Jan. 30 in a 126-113 win over Cleveland, his fourth straight game above 25.

The two are set to meet again on Feb. 26, when the Lakers visit Phoenix. Given everything that's happened between them already this season, nobody should expect that one to be quiet, either.

Olamilekan Ajayi

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