Playoff basketball rolls on without the Phoenix Suns. That doesn’t mean they aren’t watching. In some cases, they’re getting quite the view.
The Los Angeles Lakers hosted the Oklahoma City Thunder for Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals on Monday night, and a familiar face was sitting in the crowd. Thunder guards Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luguentz Dort share something in common with Suns forward Dillon Brooks, as all three are members of Team Canada. So, in a game in which SGA and Dort could
potentially clinch their second consecutive trip to the Western Conference Finals, it wasn’t surprising to see their national teammate Dillon Brooks sitting baseline at Crypto.com Arena taking in the game.
What made it even more entertaining is Brooks’ ongoing rivalry with LeBron James. The two have had plenty of run-ins over the years, some dating back to Brooks’ time with the Memphis Grizzlies, others happening this past season with Phoenix. When the Amazon Prime broadcast cut to Brooks sitting courtside, iced out in jewelry as LeBron stood at the free throw line, it felt very on brand.
And knowing Brooks, there were probably a few comments exchanged as he rooted for his friends to take down the Lakers.
Dillon Brooks is extension-eligible this upcoming offseason, and it’ll be interesting to see which direction the Phoenix Suns choose to go. Do they get ahead of it now and lock him up early? Or do they wait until next summer, when he becomes an unrestricted free agent and revisit it then?
He was a major part of the identity and culture shift Phoenix experienced this past season, and that carries real value. The question is how much value the organization places on it financially. Until then, it’s nice to see Brooks enjoying the offseason and continuing the Suns tradition of rooting against the Los Angeles Lakers.
