Dillon Brooks returned to ‌Crypto.com to antagonize LeBron James, but this time, the Phoenix Suns player sat courtside in street clothes. As the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the OKC Thunder in Game 4, Brooks sat right behind the baseline, drawing reactions from fans on social media.

During Game 4’s first quarter, LeBron was standing on the free-throw line ready to shoot when the camera zoomed in on Brooks sitting in the front row. The Suns player was laughing at James, dressed in a diamond chain, a diamond watch, and grills.

Brooks and his Suns were swept in the opening round by the Thunder. Given that two of his Team Canada basketball teammates, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luguentz Dort, are also on the Thunder team, his presence wasn't surprising.

In the last few years, Brooks has consistently embraced his role as a Lakers antagonist despite heavy social media criticism. His intense rivalry with LeBron James made his smiling presence a talking point.

Brooks’ rivalry with the Lakers star goes back to his Memphis Grizzlies days, when the Lakers eliminated Memphis in the 2022-23 first-round playoffs while Brooks played the antagonist’s role for most of the series.

Fans react as Dillon Brooks sits courtside watching LeBron James 

Already on his offseason vacation, fans took to social media to show up at the Lakers vs Thunder game. 

“Brooks really took a break from his Cancun vacation just to watch the Thunder finish what they started,” a fan wrote.

In the last few years, Brooks has made a name for himself as a LeBron hater, with another fan calling him out.

“This guy is clout chasing by stepping to LeBron. They aren’t peers,” the fan wrote.

However, some fans trolled the Suns' star.

“Dillon Brooks didn’t come to watch the game… he came to study LeBron like a documentary,” a fan added.

Brooks has built a reputation for his vocal and public disdain for James, and seems happy enough to embrace the role of the villain.

“Dillon is a real life super villain bro,” another fan wrote.

The Thunder clinched their second back-to-back Conference Finals berth in the last two seasons, and Brooks and the Suns were their first victims.

Brooks watching and supporting the Thunder in the next series seems very unlikely, prompting fans to point out why he was there at Game 4 in the first place.

“JDub and Chet sent you home in 4, now you're here to watch them do it to the King? True fan behavior,” a fan wrote.

Do you think Brooks was at the Lakers game to antagonize LeBron James or to support the Thunder? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Nandjee Ranjan

Edited by

Surjo Ray