Dillon Brooks is not a popular man in Los Angeles. The Grizzlies forward has managed to get under the skin of just about everyone in the league as of late, and that has extended into Memphis’s series against the Lakers.
After making some bold comments directed toward LeBron James following the Grizzlies’ win in Game 2, Brooks was hit with an ice-cold welcome to Crypto.com Arena before Saturday’s Game 3.
During warmups ahead of the tilt, Lakers fans trolled Brooks while he took some jumpers, cheering after every shot he missed. They also booed whenever he received a pass throughout his pregame warmup, giving him a preview of what’s in store during Games 3 and 4 in Los Angeles.
The LA crowd is booing Dillon Brooks in warm-ups and cheering when he misses 😅
— ESPN (@espn) April 23, 2023
🍿 Lakers-Grizzlies Game 3
📺 10 PM ET on ESPN pic.twitter.com/AO5YLcpTOn
Brooks has quickly stepped into the role of the NBA’s biggest villain, holding back from nobody and expressing a consistent willingness to chirp at any opponent. That extends to the league’s star players, too.
After a previous beef with Warriors’ Draymond Green, the Grizzlies forward attempted to bait LeBron James into a similar dispute, though the Lakers star was having none of it.
Brooks claimed that LeBron was “old” and wouldn’t earn his respect until he dropped 40 points on him. Those comments came on the heels of LeBron scoring 28 points in Game 2, including 26 with Brooks as his primary defender.
With the next two games slated to be in Los Angeles, Lakers fans made sure to give Memphis’s controversial forward a proper welcome to the stadium.
