Dillon Brooks has never met a LeBron James matchup he did not want. Now that he is in Phoenix, one game on the Suns’ 2026-27 schedule already has his full attention.
The Suns host the Philadelphia 76ers on December 30, which happens to be LeBron’s 42nd birthday. Brooks was not aware of the coincidence at first, but once someone pointed it out, he was ready to make it a whole event.
“I’m excited,” Brooks told reporters. “That’s more ammunition for me to win that game, but it should be fun.”
Of course he said that. Brooks and LeBron have been personal rivals since Brooks was in Memphis, and the history keeps getting weirder. Now LeBron is a Sixer after leaving the Lakers this offseason, Brooks is a Sun after bouncing from Houston, and the two of them will collide in Phoenix on the day LeBron turns 42.
Christmas Day is going to belong to the other LeBron storyline. Philadelphia visits the Lakers on December 25 in what will be his first game back at Crypto.com Arena as an opponent. That is the emotional headliner. The Brooks birthday matchup five days later is the sequel with all the trash talk.
For Phoenix, Brooks is exactly the right fit for this kind of moment. The Suns wanted a wing who would defend on the perimeter and never back down from anyone. Brooks checks both boxes, and he treats every LeBron game like Game 7 of the Finals. That energy is going to carry the entire arena that night.
The bigger question is whether LeBron will still be playing at that level in late December. He turns 42 with real mileage on the odometer, and Philadelphia is expecting him to be a complementary piece next to Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, not the lead ball handler. Brooks does not care about any of that. He is going to guard LeBron like he owes him money.
These games always deliver. LeBron elevates against Brooks because he cannot help himself, and Brooks welcomes the challenge every single time. Add a birthday narrative and a national broadcast window, and December 30 becomes appointment viewing for the Suns.
Circle it now. Phoenix vs Philadelphia, December 30, LeBron’s birthday, Brooks in the other jersey. The NBA schedule makers may not have planned it this way, but they could not have written it better.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
