In the world of intense NBA rivalries, LeBron James, a renowned figure in basketball, has shared his thoughts on those who trash-talked him over the previous season. The warning came because of the comments made by Houston Rocket’s Dillon Brooks and Denver Nugget’s head coach, Michael Malone.
James, when asked by Fox Sports’ Melissa Rohlin about responding to the critics, especially Brooks and Malone. James gives a cryptic answer, “I don’t know. There will be a time, when that time is, I don’t know. I don’t know if it’s now, or — there will be a time. There will be a time when everybody will get it.”
I asked LeBron James, with Dillon Brooks’ trash talk and Michael Malone’s comments throughout the postseason, what‘s his line of when he feels the need to respond.
“There will be a time when everybody will get it,” he said. pic.twitter.com/8AZIKruBv4
— Melissa Rohlin (@melissarohlin) October 21, 2023
For those who are unaware, during the 2023 playoffs, Dillon Brooks, then with the Memphis Grizzlies, made headlines when he dared to “poke bears”, referring to James. However, LeBron chose a calm approach, “I don’t want to talk about this more,” James said before Game 3. “I’m not here for bulls—, I’m ready to play and that’s it.” This quiet confidence of James played out well on the court as the Lakers defeated the Grizzlies.
LeBron James’ cryptic response heat up the new season
The story did not end there with Brooks. Last season in the Conference Finals, the Lakers faced the Denver Nuggets. Michael Malone, the Nugget’s head coach, was not shy in sharing his opinions and suggested that a media bias is favoring the Lakers. Interestingly, the Nuggets swept the Lakers and after that Malone took a jab at James, humorously stating on “The Pat McAfee Show” that he too was thinking of retiring, he was clearly copying LeBron’s post-playoff emotions.
“Speaking of the Lakers, I just want you guys to know this is breaking news,” Malone said. “I’m thinking about retiring. Only kidding, only kidding.”
While on vacation in Europe four months back, LeBron shared a cryptic message from his Instagram account which was likely targeted at Malone: “In Europe for the last past few weeks minding my business and I hear I’m on your mind that much huh??? I mean I guess I see why. But Wave the flag on these lames!! Please make being player cool again cause the lame machine is at an all-time high. Enjoy your light but just know I’m the SUN. I stay on forever!”
Bron’s latest IG post 👀 pic.twitter.com/dDVstdKk2T
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 16, 2023
LeBron, responding to Malone’s jabs, stating that even though he’s away from the game and uninvolved, he remains a topic of discussion. He criticizes those who are trying to harm his legacy, he refers to himself as the “SUN.”
As the new NBA season approaches, all eyes are on the opening game between James’ Lakers and Malone’s Nuggets in Denver. With the Lakers’ newly bolstered roster, this matchup promises to be an interesting one both on and off the court.
