Brooks reveals how his LeBron James playoff strategy backfired, leading to a surprising Grizzlies exit that still stings years later.
Dillon Brooks never backed down from the spotlight during his time with the Memphis Grizzlies. But years after his infamous playoff clash with LeBron James, the veteran forward says the fallout from that moment still stings.
Brooks recently opened up about the situation during an appearance on the Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast, where he reflected on the 2023 first-round playoff series between the Grizzlies and the Los Angeles Lakers. During that matchup, Brooks repeatedly called James “old” and tried to provoke him on the court.
According to Brooks, the trash talk wasn’t random. It was part of a deliberate strategy.
“My thought by doing that in that series was him to shoot the ball more,” Brooks explained. “I wanted him to shoot the ball more.”
Brooks believed that if James focused on scoring rather than facilitating, it would disrupt the Lakers’ offensive rhythm.
“I know if he shoots more, then this guy’s not getting the ball, this guy’s not getting the ball,” Brooks said. “Then it’s like a one-on-one matchup and I can take on that matchup any day of the week.”
The plan, however, didn’t unfold the way Brooks envisioned. The Lakers eliminated Memphis in six games, with James averaging more than 22 points while controlling the series with his all-around play.
Brooks struggled offensively during that stretch, averaging just 10.5 points while shooting 31.5 percent from the field.
Soon after the series ended, the Grizzlies decided not to bring him back — a decision Brooks said caught him off guard.
“I don’t never regret it, even though it led to me not being on the team anymore,” Brooks said. “Bro, that wasn’t my fault. That was just us not being ready for the moment.”
The way the situation unfolded afterward bothered him even more.
Brooks recalled having a direct meeting with Memphis management shortly after the season ended, where he was told the team would not re-sign him. But the bigger issue, he said, was how reports about the decision became public.
“One day it came out that I wouldn’t be re-signed under no circumstances,” Brooks said. “That shouldn’t have happened like that.”
He believed the leak created a negative perception around the league that could have affected his market value in free agency.
“I thought they were trying to mess with my money,” Brooks admitted.
Brooks said the move felt especially surprising given how long he had been part of Memphis’ rebuild. Drafted by the franchise in the second round in 2017, he watched the team grow from a rebuilding group into a Western Conference contender alongside Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr.
“I was the heart and soul of the team,” Brooks said. “I was the one that gave us that heartbeat.”
Looking back, Brooks acknowledges the NBA is a business. Still, the way things ended with the Grizzlies left a lasting impression.
“I knew how the league works,” he said. “I just never thought it would be Memphis doing it to me.”