Dillon Brooks steals the spotlight in LeBron James’ “last” game

The tension of Game 4 between the Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder found an unexpected courtside star. Dillon Brooks, long known for his ongoing battles with LeBron James, chose to attend the game while sitting directly under the Lakers’ basket during the first quarter.

His presence did not go unnoticed by the cameras or by the Los Angeles crowd – especially with the gold chains and rings that were impossible to miss.

The viral moment

The sequence that grabbed everyone’s attention – and quickly spread across social media – came in the opening minutes of the game. With LeBron James stepping to the line in a 7-7 game, cameras showed Brooks staring at the Lakers star while openly laughing without breaking eye contact. While it is possible he was joking with someone seated nearby, Lakers fans immediately viewed it as yet another provocation.

“He came to watch LeBron get swept 4-0.”

Rivalry or friendship?

There is, however, a less controversial explanation: Brooks may have been there to support his Canadian national team teammates Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luguentz Dort, who were trying to close out the series and advance to the Western Conference Finals with Oklahoma City.

Still, the history between Brooks and James suggests otherwise. Their rivalry, heated since 2021, reached new levels during the 2025-26 regular season, when Brooks called James “old,” “predictable,” and “overrated.” The fact that Brooks himself had just been eliminated by the Thunder in the previous round – with the Suns swept 4-0 – only adds another layer of irony to his courtside appearance.

If his true goal was to trash-talk James during what could be his last NBA game, it would be a level of commitment to rivalry that is almost admirable in its consistency.