"That to me is cowardice" - LeBron James' former teammate destroys Dillon Brooks after he refuses to talk to the media
LeBron James' former championship-winning teammate Richard Jefferson lambasted Dillon Brooks for not showing up twice at the post-game press conference. Brooks and the Memphis Grizzlies lost Games 3 and 4 on the road to the LA Lakers. Brooks was ejected in Game 3 after hitting James below the belt.
In Game 4, he had an off night, which ended with LeBron scoring a clutch layup over him with 29.7 seconds left to put the game out of the Grizzlies' reach. Brooks didn't make himself available on either occasion. That infuriated many analysts and fans as Brooks had a lot to say the last time he spoke to the media after the Grizzlies won Game 2.
Former player turned analyst with ESPN, Richard Jefferson weighed in on the situation on the NBA Today show, saying:
"You can't talk the talk and not walk the walk. It's okay to make a mistake, it's okay to have a bad game and then go face it. Because when you win, everybody wants to talk when they win. They're sprinting to the podium. Everybody's up there.
"When you struggle, and that's where you really show your true character. Dillon Brooks, as much as we crack jokes, I love his fire.... If you're not gonna talk to the media after two straight games, that to me is cowardice."
Dillon Brooks called LeBron James "old" and said he wasn't as good as he was during his Miami and Cleveland days. Brooks went a step ahead and claimed he wouldn't respect LeBron if he didn't give him a 40-piece.
Before the series started, Dillon Brooks welcomed the challenge of facing LeBron James. He boldly claimed that knocking the four-time MVP out of the first round would be a big step up for the Grizzlies. However, Memphis, now down 1-3, is only one loss away from going home.
Dillon Brooks may have sparked fire within LeBron James and the LA Lakers
The LA Lakers got off to a hot start in their 2023 NBA playoffs first-round series against the Utah Jazz. They beat Memphis 128-117 in Game 1, taking away their homecourt advantage. The Grizzlies bounced back with a dominant win in Game 2, topping the Lakers 103-93.
Dillon Brooks seemed uber-confident after the contest. During the game, he got into a back-and-forth with LeBron James and said he didn't care as he is used to poking the bear. Brooks also didn't hesitate to make bold remarks about James, believing he wasn't as good as he was during his previous playoff runs.
However, LeBron and his teammates heard all the noise and did all the talking on the court in the next two games. James dropped 25 points, nine rebounds and five assists in the Lakers' 111-101 win. He scored eight points early in the game to give them a record 35-9 start in the first quarter that laid the foundation for their win.
James followed that outing with one of his most clutch playoff performances in Game 4. He scored the game-tying bucket with 0.8 seconds left to send the game into overtime. James then extended the Lakers' three-point lead to five with 29.7 seconds left to seal a commanding 3-1 lead for the 17-time champions.
It's safe to assume that Dillon Brooks' lack of respect towards LeBron James and the Lakers may have haunted him and the Grizzlies in this series.