LeBron James may be old, but he stayed in the game Saturday night a lot longer than Dillon Brooks did.

James, with the Los Angeles Lakers leading the Memphis Grizzlies 53-37 with 11:43 in the third quarter, was dribbling the ball down the court when Brooks appears to try to swipe at the ball as James switched directions with a behind-the-back move. Instead, Brooks hit the Lakers star in the groin.

Brooks was assessed a flagrant 2 and ejected.

James laid on the court for some time before getting to his feet to shoot his free throws.

“It’s direct contact to the groin,” rules expert Kane Fitzgerald said. “The contact’s unnecessary. It’s a real good shot to the groin area, which makes it excessive as well. That leads you to a flagrant foul 2.”

The two players exchanged words with 8:06 remaining in the third quarter of Game 2 after James scored two straight baskets. Brooks said James had called him “dumb” for picking up his fourth foul. After the game, Brooks said James is “old” and “was expecting him to do that in game four, game five. He wanted to say something when I got my fourth foul. He should have said that earlier on.”

“I don’t care. He’s old. I was waiting for that,” Brooks said after the game when asked about the exchange. “I was expecting him to do that in game four, game five. He wanted to say something when I got my fourth foul. He should have said that earlier on.

“I poke bears. I don’t respect no one until they come and give me 40 (points).”

Mark Heim is a sports reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim.