Ja Morant Defends Dillon Brooks After Ejection for Hitting LeBron James in the Groin Area

• Dillon Brooks was ejected for hitting LeBron James in the groin area in Game 3 between Memphis Grizzlies and the Los Angeles Lakers
• Ja Morant defended his teammate after the game
• It was Brooks' third ejection of the season
• The Lakers produced a dominant performance to take a 2-1 series lead

Dillon Brooks hit the headlines for the wrong reasons again.

The Memphis Grizzlies swingman was ejected for hitting Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James in the groin are in Game 3, which the Grizzlies lost 111-101. Grizzlies star Ja Morant has defended his teammate.

Brooks has made a few questionable decisions in the NBA this season. His controversial actions has seen him get many enemies. He is arguably the most hated player in the league.

In Saturday's game, he was tossed after just 17 seconds in the second half. As James dribbled the ball up the court, Brooks tried to swipe the ball but ended up hitting James in the groin area.

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The 38-year-old immediately fell on the floor, writhing in pain. Officials went to review the play and then called Brooks for a flagrant 2 foul, ejecting him from the game in the process, per CBS Sports.

Morant defends Brooks

The Grizzlies made a dreadful start to the game, scoring just nine points in the first quarter. The Lakers led 35-9 after the first period, tied for the biggest first-quarter lead in playoff history,

Morant scored 45 points in the game. He defended his teammate after the game, per ESPN.

"With how they treat Dillon, I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he is," Morant said. "I felt like he was ejected because of past ejections that was made in games before. I mean, if you look at the play, he was actually reaching for the ball and the crossover. LeBron just went behind the back. Obviously he got hit somewhere that's tough for a man. But flagrant 1? OK, but ejection, I don't agree with it at all."

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It was Brooks' third ejection this season. He was tossed for hitting Cleveland's Donovan Mitchell in the groin area in February. It was also his second ejection in the postseason. Last season, he committed a flagrant 2 that injured Golden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II.

Brooks angered many Lakers fans by calling the veteran old. He was booed by fans at the Crypto.com Arena before tipoff. He finished with seven points on 3-of-13 shooting in 19 minutes.

Mitchell calls Brooks a dirty player

Sports Brief earlier reported on Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell accusing Brooks of being a dirty player.

When the two sides met early last month, Brooks appeared to kick Mitchell in the groin, sparking a huge brawl.

The fracas resulted in both players getting ejected from the game, and Brooks was later suspended for his actions.