Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks has never been afraid to speak his mind, particularly on Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James. However, his recent comments have drawn a lot more attention, especially given his rivalry with the 41-year-old star over the last few years. Here’s what happened.

Recently, the forward was on a livestream with popular figure N3on, who was in the process of linking up with various West Coast athletes. The two were riding in the back of a car when the streamer asked Brooks about who he thought was the most underrated player in the NBA.

“I’ll probably say LeBron right now,” Brooks said after a pause to think. “I feel like he overrated right now. I feel like his time is coming to an end. You got to pass that on to one of our world guys, like a Luka [Doncic] or a Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander].”

Brooks was clear in his reasoning. Despite his status as one of the game’s greatest players, James is clearly in decline due to his advanced age. Just this season, the forward has dropped from 24.4 points, 8.2 assists, and 7.8 rebounds last season to 21.9 points, 6.6 assists, and 5.8 rebounds now, and he’s had to miss a significant portion of the season while dealing with sciatica.

Brooks didn’t hold back, suggesting that James should hand over the keys as the face of the league to one of the international players, such as Slovenian teammate Luka Doncic. He did show respect for James as a legend, but made it clear he’s not going to go easy on him, regardless of circumstances.

“When you’re on the floor, and it’s between those four lines, it doesn’t matter if you’re LeBron James or my grandmother,” Brooks said. “It’s war from when the buzzer sounds to the end of the game, no matter who it is.”

The LeBron James- Dillon Brooks Rivalry Has Been Brewing for Years

This isn’t even close to the first time Dillon Brooks took aim at LeBron James, and it’s likely not going to be the last. Their history stretches back to the 2023 playoffs, when Brooks, as a member of the Memphis Grizzlies, made headlines by calling him “old,” daring him to score 40 in the series.

Despite the Lakers eliminating the Grizzlies in six, Brooks only leaned harder into the villain role. James, for his part, went in a different direction, posting the now infamous “help the bear” message on Instagram while avoiding Brooks publicly.

However, things have heated up significantly this season. Earlier, during a game between the Suns and Lakers, Brooks and James went head to head, getting physical and lashing out verbally against each other. Both were assessed technicals, and Brooks was even ejected.

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According to a fan transcription, James chirped as much as fans expected from Brooks, calling him a “b—-” and to “chill the f— out with that b——-.” The final few possessions even resulted in James running over Brooks in a hard no-call, which ended up swinging the game in the Lakers’ favor after his ejection.