Grizzlies’ Dillon Brooks trying to get under LeBron’s skin

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Calling the NBA’s all-time leading scorer — regular season and playoffs — old and just another player might not seem very smart to most folks.

For Dillon Brooks, that’s just the Grizzlies’ defender trying to get under LeBron James’ skin.

Brooks is one of the NBA’s best defenders. He started off the mind games before their first-round Western Conference series was locked in, saying he wanted to face James and the Lakers.

And Brooks didn’t hold back after his Grizzlies tied this series at 1-1 without Ja Morant. Brooks called James a legend yes, but “old” at 38. He added James isn’t the player who won titles in Miami and Cleveland. Brooks, 27, is in the final year of his contract.

“I’m creating a name for myself,” Brooks said Wednesday night after a 103-93 win over the Lakers.

This is nothing new for Brooks, often called Dillon the Villain in Memphis. He embraces the heel role in a town where wrestling and trash talk is a way to make a good living. It might seem a bit different for someone born in Mississauga, Ontario.

But the 6-foot-6 Brooks played high school ball in Nevada and was the 45th pick overall out of Oregon in 2017. He was acquired by Memphis from Houston in a draft-night trade.

He’s followed in the Memphis tradition of former elite NBA defender Tony Allen during the Grizzlies’ franchise-record streak of seven straight playoff berths. He has started 318 of 345 games played in his career.

And Brooks has taken on the NBA’s best from Kevin Durant to Donovan Mitchell to Stephen Curry — backing down from no one.

That’s why James, who spoke to reporters Wednesday night before Brooks called him a “legend” and “old,” said before the series started the Lakers couldn’t overlook someone who can get hot as a shooter, too. Brooks has a career-high 37 points and had 32 on Dec. 17 against Oklahoma City.

Brooks excels on defense. This season, he held opponents a full 3% under their usual field-goal percentage. That’s the NBA’s best mark among guards and wing players.

He’s at his best against the NBA’s best. Brooks had the league’s second-most matchups defensively against All-Stars and led the league by holding those All-Stars to 32.9% shooting.

That feisty attitude has come with a literal price.

Brooks was fined $35,000.