Hoops decide games, but controversies and ejections fuel the fire. The Phoenix Suns-LA Lakers games delivered exactly that: two nail-biters laced with high-stakes drama between LeBron James and Dillon Brooks. It was the defining rivalry of 2025—a perfect representation of the raw emotion and intensity the year offered to fans.

LeBron James and Dillon Brooks square up

The season series is tied 1-1 as the Suns and Lakers will face each other for the third time this month on Tuesday, December 23, 2025. This will add a new chapter in LeBron James and Dillon Brooks’ petty rivalry, which gained prominence back in the 2023 playoffs. During the first encounter this season on December 1st, the Suns forward had multiple moments against the James family.

In the 125-108 win, Brooks, in transition, came up with a two-handed dunk as LeBron could barely catch up or block the shot. But the 29-year-old was not done and proceeded to taunt King James with his shrug twice. Later, the 40-year-old got his revenge thanks to his son.

In the fourth quarter. Bronny James made sure to stay locked in as the Lakers were 18 points behind. This lock-up led to Dillon Brooks traveling and turning the ball over. Cameras captured LeBron, who was on the bench, throwing a thumbs-down at the Suns forward’s missed chance. But the issues continued.

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Brooks addressed it and said, “Always. Always. LeBron likes people who bow down to him. I don’t bow down.” And during the December 14 matchup, it was visible. The two forwards were going at each other for the whole night, trading physical possessions along with sharp words.

Brooks earned a technical foul early in the game, and LeBron earned a flagrant after review for a hard foul. In the third quarter, the level was raised as Brooks threw the ball at James after losing control.

Things got even hotter in the fourth quarter. After picking up his fifth foul, Dillon Brooks even accused LeBron James of flopping, while the Lakers superstar drilled a step-back three and ended the night on 26 points, eight more than Brooks.

Brooks drained a clutch go-ahead three-pointer with just 12.2 seconds left, capping a furious 20-point Phoenix comeback, but his celebration went too far.

LeBron contested Brooks’ massive three hard, extending his leg without fouling—officials and the NBA’s Two-Minute Report later confirmed no call was needed as James kept clean contact.

Brooks hit the deck, popped up, fired up, and immediately bumped chests with his longtime rival in a dead-ball scrum. That unsportsmanlike contact earned Brooks his second technical foul of the night, which led to ejection. The Suns went on to lose the game.

“I guess he’s a social-media junkie,’’ Brooks said while not backing down from future matchups.

“He’s all over the socials, so he’s seeing what I’m saying. Like I’ve said, he thinks that people should think a certain way about him or not say anything about him or play a certain way, and I’m not going to play that way. He gets in his mood or in his mode or whatever it is. I’m all for that.”

MVP vs the French Phenom

From King to the reigning MVP and NBA champion, there are plenty of rivals to take on. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to dominate the MVP discussion, averaging 32.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 6.4 assists. Through 28 games, SGA has needed so little crunch time that he has stepped on the floor for the fourth quarter in just 13 of them, totaling only 92 minutes in the final frame all season.

Although they seem to be miles ahead of the competition in the West, the Thunder got a reality check thanks to Victor Wembanyama’s performance during the NBA Cup semifinal.

Wemby planted the seeds of a possible rivalry while helping hand the Thunder their second loss in 26 tries along the way. What makes it more interesting is that the 21-year-old played just 21 minutes, no less.

“I think we’re not quite there yet, but it’s a good sign that people see that it’s possible, because it’s not like we’re the second seed right now,” Wembanyama said in a post-game conference. “If you’re at the top, and you have a rivalry, it means you’re in the best position to win titles. So I’m very interested by it.”

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander also echoed the same sentiment. He was ready for the Spurs to be their new biggest rival. “Possibly, yeah — there’s a good chance,” Gilgeous-Alexander replied. “They’re young — really good — have a lot of talent, play the right way. They play a good brand of basketball. So, yeah, there’s definitely a possibility. It’s not 100 percent. But definitely a possibility for sure.”

Fans will be eagerly waiting since Wembanyama also watered those seeds of rivalry with another post-game comment. The French superstar suggested that the Spurs’ brand of basketball is much more “ethical” than that of OKC.

Now, the Thunder will have a chance to prove him wrong, as they face each other three times. They play in San Antonio on Tuesday and then host the Spurs two days later on Christmas Day. Plus, face each other again on January 13.

Klay Thompson vs the Next Gen players

It’s not just LeBron James who is having a go at younger stars. 4x NBA champion Klay Thompson made it clear on two different occasions that he won’t take any disrespect.

No doubt that one-half of the Splash Brothers is having a rough season, averaging just 10.8 points. In fact, Ja Morant, who did not play in the Grizzlies’ 102-96 victory over the Dallas Mavericks, reminded Thompson of his struggle.

After the final buzzer, Morant started finger-pointing and jawing at Thompson as security and teammates stepped between them.

He even crashed teammate Cam Spencer’s postgame interview and sent another dig towards the Mavs superstar. “Tell ‘em who the best shooter in the house was, it wasn’t bro from Golden State.”

Thompson wasn’t thrilled with the verbal altercation. He made sure to send a message that fans have been feeling about Ja Morant. “With Ja, he’s a funny guy,” Thompson said. “He has a lot to say all the time, especially for a guy who rarely takes accountability. But you know what? That’s for another day.”

He even described Morant’s words as “Nothing of intelligent depth.” Days after this issue, the 35-year-old once again got involved in another drama.

During the Heat’s 106–102 win over the Mavericks, tensions boiled late in the third quarter. Rookie forward Myron Gardner chirped at Thompson from the bench, reportedly calling him ‘trash.’

The 4x NBA champion fired back, “Who the f–k is you? Talking all that s–t. Who the f–k is you, dude?” Both players received technical fouls, and the moment instantly spread across social media. Unlike Ja Morant, Gardner seemingly apologized under Caron Butler’s guidance.

Alperen Sengun vs Nikola Jokic

In the stacked 2025-26 Western Conference, where the Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets are battling among the top contenders behind Oklahoma City, a genuine rivalry is brewing—and it’s fueled by two of the league’s most skilled big men: three-time MVP Nikola Jokic and rising star Alperen Sengun.

Their head-to-head matchups this season have delivered thriller after thriller, with Denver holding the edge so far. On November 21, 2025, in Houston (an NBA Cup game), the Nuggets escaped with a narrow 112-109 win. Jokic dominated with 34 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists, while Sengun contributed 14 points in a tougher night.

The rematch on December 15, 2025, in Denver was an instant classic: a 128-125 overtime victory for the Nuggets. This game etched itself into NBA history as Jokic (39 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists) and Sengun (33 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) became the first pair of centers ever to record triple-doubles in the same game. The contest featured 17 lead changes and 16 ties, showcasing playoff-level intensity.

At the heart of it all is the Jokic-Sengun dynamic. Sengun, once dubbed “Baby Jokic” for his similar European big-man style—post mastery, vision, and facilitation—has openly embraced and then rejected the comparison. After the November loss, he said: “Jokic was [the player I looked up to] when I came to the league. Now I have my own thing, I have my own team. I’m writing my own story.”

He’s backed it up with All-Star-level play (around 23.7 points, 9.5 rebounds, 7.2 assists this season), proving he’s no mere imitator. Jokic, ever humble, echoed the sentiment after the December triple-double duel: “I think people need to stop comparing us. I think he’s an amazing player by himself… He’s still young, so I think he needs to be recognized as Alperen Sengun.”

Yet the on-court battles tell a sharper story—Sengun attacks with extra fire (inspired partly by outdueling Jokic in EuroBasket 2025 international play), while Jokic quietly asserts his supremacy as the league’s most unguardable force.

Jimmy Butler vs the Miami Heat

Now, towards the saga that dominated the headlines at the beginning of the year. From not finding his joy, to getting suspended, and then finally getting traded to the Golden State. Jimmy Butler’s exit from the Heat was a major talking point, since fans, players, and even legends were divided in choosing sides.

Butler’s relationship in Miami soured after President Pat Riley refused to give the 35-year-old the contract extension he desired.

Riley even suspended Butler thrice before shipping him off to California. In May this year, the President didn’t back down from the decision. “There’s no doubt that what happened with Jimmy had a tremendous impact on our team,” Riley said. “There’s no doubt about it. So the buck stops with me. I’ll take that hit if you want it.”

He even laid the marker down, stating that he wouldn’t apologize. “No, I’m not going to apologize for saying no on the contract extension when we didn’t have to,” Riley said. “And I don’t think I should. I will always say that to the players, if I were coaching, ‘Keep your mouth shut, and I’ll see you next training camp.’ And you get back on the court.”

This my-way-or-highway approach is what LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Shaquille O’Neal, among other Heat stars, faced during their time in Miami.

Even after the trade, the relationship did not get better. In fact, during Butler’s return to Miami last season, he did not acknowledge any teammate, including team captain Bam Adebayo. Later, Adebayo told reporters, “I’m not shocked. It is what it is.”

A few months ago, Jimmy Butler once again took shots at Miami. “All that noise, all that chaos paid off in a major way. But then you know someone has to be the bad guy, and it gets to be me. I’m always the one doing something unbearable all of a sudden.” He even stated that he found his “joy” in the Bay Area.

The war of words didn’t stop as his former teammate made sure to send a message.

For last month’s matchup, the Kaseya Center crowd saw Heat star Bam Adebayo return from a six-game injury, and he had his ways of dealing with the situation.

Adebayo’s hat had two words that summed up the drama. He wore a blue-and-white cap with large letters spelling out “Joy Dealer.”

Honorary mention to a long-standing rivalry, Lakers vs Clippers

The Lakers and the Clippers have shared a home arena since the 1999-2000 season. But it was the Purple and Gold franchise that was always the big brother. Be it championships where Lakers legends Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal delivered three straight NBA Finals.

Later, Bryant added two more rings with Pau Gasol. Lastly, LeBron James and Anthony Davis added their names to Lakers lore with the 2020 title. Their neighbors are yet to find that success, and the disdain is even visible today.

When the Clippers moved into the Intuit Dome, their new $2 billion arena in Inglewood, they had always planned to make life difficult for opposing players. They built a “Wall” section, reserved for the most hardcore fans, who often try to distract their opponents.

The seats are only given out to the most fervent fans, who are vetted by the team beforehand, and are expected to stand the entire game. This time on the receiving end was the Lakers’ newest superstar, Luka Doncic.

Doncic was met with signs reading “Ozempic,” “Weight Watchers,” and “Jenny Craig,” referencing his highly publicized offseason transformation. Even though the Slovenian lost 10 to 12 kilograms (22 to 26 pounds) over the last few months, the fans gave him a hard time. We will have more such rivals in store as we look forward to 2026.