NBA villain Dillon Brooks a necessary evil for Canadian men's Olympic basketball team

The last time Mississauga, Ont.'s Dillon Brooks sounded off about LeBron James, that verbal cheque came back marked insufficient funds.

Back then, Brooks was a member of the Memphis Grizzlies, which had begun the 2022-23 season as contenders to upend the Western Conference's balance of power, thanks to their combination of youth, confidence and grit. During their opening-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers, Brooks, a small forward, made clear his opinion on the Lakers' veteran superstar.

"I don't care. He's old," Brooks said of James last April. "I don't respect no one until they come and give me 40."

Factually, Brooks wasn't wrong. A 38-year-old in real life is still on their way to middle age. In pro sports, at 38, you're a relic from a bygone era, like a phone booth or a print newspaper.

As for the declaration that Brooks only respects players who torch him for 40 points?

It's a personal preference. We all have our lines. Brooks draws his at 40. You could argue with him about it, but why?

None of us could offer a better rebuttal than James did — he put up 20 points and 22 rebounds when the teams finally tipped off. Brooks asked for 40. James gave him 42, and a lesson about provoking a future Hall of Famer.

Brooks is now a Houston Rocket, and in the leadup to Wednesday's game against the Lakers, here he came again, talking about how thoroughly he planned to handle James.

"Ready to lock him up," he told the Houston Chronicle, when asked about facing James.

"Any time he's posting up on the block, I'm bumping him," Brooks, 28, told reporters this week. "If he's guarding me, I just want to attack him."

Seven months later, are we dealing with the same old Brooks?

I hope so.

In a pro-sports world where