Dillon Brooks was serious. Standing in the Grizzlies’ locker room Wednesday, wearing large reflective sunglasses that covered his eyes and an oversize chain bearing his initials that fell against his bare chest, Brooks shrugged off a question about whether it was disrespectful to verbally and repeatedly engage LeBron James.
“I don’t care; he’s old,” Brooks said after Memphis evened its first-round series against LeBron and the Lakers, 1–1. “I poke bears. I don’t respect no one until they come and give me 40 [points].”
It was a bold statement by Brooks, though players engaging in mental warfare with James is nothing new.
