Dillon Brooks is back in his favorite lane: poking the bear.
Ahead of LeBron James beginning his 24th season with the Philadelphia 76ers, Brooks showed up in a new promotional ad for the prediction market Kalshi that clearly leans into the long-running back-and-forth between the two.
Brooks, now with the Phoenix Suns, takes on multiple roles in the spot, including a frustrated viewer on the couch and an on-screen salesperson pushing a fictional device called the “King Blocker 9000.” The ad is built around the idea of drowning out the nonstop LeBron conversation that seems to follow the NBA superstar everywhere.
“Are you tired of hearing about the greatest basketball player of all time? Where he goes, what team is he playing for this season, what ridiculous new product he's endorsing?” Dillon asks, narrating over scenes of himself trying to get rid of coverage of James on television.
“Then you need the King Blocker 9000, advanced breakthrough technology that will mute any mention,” his on-screen television character says.
The commercial keeps rolling from there, with Brooks’ salesperson tossing out more LeBron references that get muted by the product.
There’s also a strange little twist tucked into the promo: a website for the fake product, where Kalshi is advertising a giveaway of 23 of the King Blocker items.
Brooks has long leaned into the antagonist role around the NBA, and his history with James has made him one of the league’s most recognizable irritants. He already drew attention earlier this year when he sat behind the basket during a Los Angeles Lakers playoff game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, a move many viewed as another shot at James.
The new ad started making the rounds online on Tuesday, and fans immediately grabbed hold of it. Plenty of them seemed to enjoy the fact that Brooks was once again fully committed to being the villain.
“Dillon brooks really loves being the villain, this is next level lol,” someone wrote in their comment.
Another said, “We need more guys with personality in the league villains like this makes [expletive] fun.”
“Classic Dillon, always stirring the pot. Gotta love the rivalry,” a commenter wrote.
The timing matters, too. Kalshi rolled out the promotion weeks after James announced his partnership with a competing prediction market, Polymarket.
And if Brooks wants to keep the joke going, there are games coming. The Suns host the 76ers on Wednesday, Dec. 30, in Arizona, and then play them in Philly on Wednesday, Feb.
- Before that, James and the 76ers open against the New York Knicks on Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 7:00 p.m.
ET, with New York set to raise its championship banner before the game at Madison Square Garden.
In Other News...
76ers Already Have A Joel Embiid Problem They Couldnt Hide
The season opener offered a reminder that the 76ers biggest question may not be about their stars, but about what happens when Joel Embiid has to take a breather. Against the Knicks, Philadelphia looked exposed behind him as Adem Bona and Jabari Walker had a tough time dealing with Andre Drummond, a matchup that quickly turned into a problem the Sixers could not paper over for long. Injuries already have thinned the center group, and the team had to get creative just to survive stretches without its anchor in the paint.
Philadelphias depth chart at the position now feels like something worth watching closely, especially if the early-season rotation has to lean on stopgap answers more than expected. The Sixers can live with a lot when Embiid is on the floor, but the opener showed how quickly the matchup can tilt once he is not, and it left an obvious question hanging over the roster: whether this team will need to find more reliable help at center before those minutes decide a game again. [Read more 🡒]
Nick Nurse Still Has A Knicks Grudge The 76ers Havent Settled
The 76ers have already made their presence felt against New York once this season, walking out of Madison Square Garden with a 106-100 win that spoiled the Knicks ring and banner ceremony. For Philadelphia, it was more than just an early-season road victory. It was the kind of result that still carries some extra edge for a team that has spent time looking back at what happened against the Knicks in the playoffs.
Nick Nurse has not completely let go of that loss in the Eastern Conference semifinals, and the frustration around it still lingers as the two teams measure themselves again. Philadelphia has also reworked its roster with Jaylen Brown and LeBron James in the mix, giving the club more ways to navigate the season if Joel Embiid misses time. Even so, the Knicks remain a familiar source of unfinished business for a coach who clearly has not moved on from the last postseason meeting. [Read more 🡒]
Paul George Just Reopened An Uncomfortable 76ers Debate
Paul Georges first night in Boston looked a lot like the kind of performance the 76ers spent a season hoping to see more often. In the Celtics season opener, George poured in 38 points and added five rebounds, three assists and five steals, immediately looking like a player with more room to operate than he ever consistently found in Philadelphia. The fit was different from the start, with Boston putting him in a larger role and giving him the freedom to play like a primary option alongside Jayson Tatum.
For the 76ers, it reopened an uncomfortable question about what exactly went wrong during Georges time in Philadelphia. Injuries were part of the answer, but so were the team dynamics around him, which never seemed to let his game breathe in the way it did against his new backdrop. If this is the beginning of a resurgence, it only sharpens the sense that the Sixers may have watched a different version of George emerge just as he moved on. [Read more 🡒]