Grudges and rivalry were the theme of the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers’ second matchup of the month. But this level of intensity even left fans confused. LeBron James and Dillon Brooks continued their longstanding personal rivalry through petty antics and fouls. It got the notorious Suns star eventually ejected, the Lakers an edgy 114-116 win, and James almost had his wallet ready to pay up. Then came that Pool Report…

The techs would define the outcome of the game. But the plot twist was the official report after the game. Crew Chief Tyler Ford was asked about that moment when James put his hands on the referee. His answer raised brows.

“During instant replay review, we have the ability to review all unsportsmanlike acts. There was no unsportsmanlike act observed for making contact with a referee.”

Unlike how the last Suns matchup went, James had 26 points in a foul-heavy game. Brooks drew a tech for shoving him in the first quarter. In the third quarter, Brooks made contact with the Lakers veteran again, this time by swatting the ball out of his hands, but into his shoulder.

Well, James did not like that at all.

He mouthed off at Brooks, then argued with the referee. It was getting ugly enough for Rui Hachimura to step in and diffuse it. But not before 6’9″ James jostled the referee (read that again). He got a tech for his actions, but that was for bodying up Brooks, not for confronting the referee with physical force.

The NBA rules dictate that a $2,000 fine punishes any unsportsmanlike conduct at a minimum. The incident is also reported to the League Office. But this pool report throws all assumptions off.

Now, fans are either confused about whether this lets James go scot-free or whether the NBA is exercising double standards here…

Fans left baffled by LeBron James escaping rare ejection vs Suns

At first, the biggest shocker was that James wasn’t immediately punished for grabbing the referee, apart from the tech handed to him. Those watching also wondered why the referee was so non-reactive.

“Ref’s flabbers were gasted. He was really trying to understand the anger lol. Never occurred to him that he could throw buddy out for that,” a fan theorized.

“Any other player does that to a ref and they’re getting ejected lol,” another fan wrote.

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That is precisely what happened.

In the last seconds of the game, Brooks put the Suns on a one-point lead (113-114). James apparently ran through him, and that annoyed him enough to shove the veteran. This time, Bron backed off entirely and let the ref handle it. Brooks got his second tech and, consequently, was immediately ousted from the game.

Ironically, Ford defended that ejection in the pool report.

“Brooks was ejected because he received his second technical foul for making unsportsmanlike contact during the dead ball.”

Not surprisingly, anyone who saw James shove the ref felt…

“They gave lebron a lot of leeway to touch the ref like that,” a fan wrote.

That tech got James to the free-throw line. He and Marcus Smart then made enough of their free throws and got the Lakers barely over the line.

“Im a Lakers fan… LeBron should know better than to touch the ref like that and shouldn’t have gotten away with it,” a fan posted.

In year 23, just days shy of his 41st birthday, and with all that experience, it’s safe to assume that James knows the tricks of the trade.

“I just like to compete,” James said of the matchup with Brooks after the game. “He’s going to compete. I’m going to compete. We’re going to get up in each other’s face.”

Lastly, there are those who are enjoying this stuff while it lasts and goading James to…

“Final year. Take a swing, Bron. It’s worth it,” a fan wrote.

Now it remains to be seen whether the NBA will levy a fine.

Did you know: LeBron James has only been ejected twice in his NBA career. Once in 2017, when he was with the Cleveland Cavaliers, for misbehaving with official Kane Fitzgerald. And the second instance came in 2021, when the Lakers star drew blood on Isaiah Stewart’s face while boxing him out for a rebound.