In his one basketball game and two media availability sessions since Game 2, LeBron James has largely avoided adding spice to the beef Dillon Brooks has been trying to cook up. This approach includes restraining from commenting on whether Brooks should face further discipline after being ejected for hitting LeBron in the groin early in the third quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers‘ comfortable 111-101 Game 3 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.

“I don't know,” LeBron said when asked if Brooks should be suspended for Game 4. “I'm not a part of the committee. So, If he's in the lineup, if he's out of the lineup, gotta prepare no matter what. Looking forward to the challenge that Monday will bring.”

(LeBron immediately responded to the flagrant-2 with a pair of spectacular dunks.)

After the Grizzlies' win in Game 2 on Wednesday — in which Brooks tried to engage LeBron in various shenanigans, prompting LeBron to call him a “bum” — Brooks said he was unconcerned about riling up the four-time champ because LeBron was a) “old” and b) had never dropped 40 on Brooks.

LeBron didn't drop 40 in Game 3 — even if he had, Brooks wouldn't have been around to witness it — but his aggression from the jump sparked the Lakers to a 35-9 first quarter. The game was effectively over.

Brooks, who was 3-of-13 from the field when he was tossed, left Crypto.com Arena without taking questions, though his teammates had his back.

The NBA will decide Brooks' fate for Game 4 on Sunday. Ja Morant acknowledged that Brooks' past history could play a role in the league's decision, as we just saw with Draymond Green.

“With how they treat Dillon, I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if he is,” said Ja. “I felt like he was ejected because of past ejections made in games before. If you look at the play, he was actually reaching for the ball on a crossover. LeBron just went behind the back.”

Desmond Bane said he believed the groin punch was accidental.

 

Brooks led the league with 18 technical fouls in the regular season (which earned a suspension). Considering his loud and proud history of antagonism toward anyone in close proximity to an NBA court, the “committee” of which LeBron speaks may have a relatively easy decision to make.