December 14, 2025
Dec. 14, 2025 Late-Game Ejection After Go-Ahead 3
On December 14, 2025, Dillon Brooks hit a go-ahead 3 with 12.2 seconds remaining but made chest-to-chest contact with LeBron James on the way back, earning a second technical and ejection; LeBron converted late free throws and the Lakers won 116–114 [8].
Quick Facts
What Happened
In a December 14, 2025 regular-season game between the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers, Dillon Brooks drilled a go-ahead 3-pointer with 12.2 seconds left to give Phoenix a late lead. ESPN's recap reports that Brooks made contact with LeBron James after the shot, bumping him on the way back down the court; officials assessed a second technical on Brooks for the post-shot contact, resulting in an ejection [8]. Specifics: The game was tight down the stretch—Phoenix had staged a comeback from a large deficit earlier, and the play in question occurred during the final sequence. After Brooks' ejection, LeBron was awarded free throws in the final possession and made two late free throws that gave the Lakers a 116–114 victory, according to the ESPN game recap [8]. Immediate reactions: Game recaps and analysts focused on the dramatic swing: a go-ahead bucket followed by an ejection that handed the game-deciding free throws to LeBron. The incident renewed conversation about the history between Brooks and LeBron, with reports connecting the moment to earlier 2023 exchanges and the December 2, 2025 matchup [8][9].
What They Said
“Phoenix trailed 99-79 with 7:48 left, but took a 114-113 lead with 12.2 seconds left on Dillon Brooks' 3-pointer over James, who made contact with Brooks after the shot. Brooks bumped James on the way back down the court, earning his second technical foul and an ejection.”
Why It Matters
The Dec. 14, 2025 ejection mattered because it combined high-leverage late-game action with an enforcement decision that directly affected the game's outcome: Brooks' post-shot contact produced an ejection and gave LeBron the platform to win the game at the line, further entrenching the pattern of confrontations between the two players and demonstrating how those confrontations can have immediate competitive consequences [8].
What Happened Next
The immediate consequence was a Lakers win after LeBron's clutch free throws; reporting emphasized the play as the latest episode in an ongoing rivalry. The ejection was documented in official game recaps and highlighted in timelines tracking the Brooks–LeBron interactions; there was no public league suspension reported following this December 14, 2025 incident in the available sources, but it generated renewed media scrutiny of their matchups [8][9].