Why Luke Littler's brother stopped playing darts and now refuses to play him despite being 'better player' at one point

Luke Littler's brother stopped playing him despite being better than him once upon a time, according to the darts sensation.

17-year-old Littler became the youngest ever winner of the World Darts Championship earlier this month, claiming the Sid Waddell trophy and a whopping £500,000 prize after beating Michael van Gerwen in the final at Alexandra Palace.

It was Littler's second appearance in the tournament after he reached the 2023 final in a losing effort against No.1 ranked player Luke Humphries.

The Warrington teenager has come from nowhere to become the new face of darts and has been tipped to dominate the sport for years to come given his achievements at such a young age.

But incredibly, Littler has previously admitted that his older brother Leon was once clear of him but ended his exploits on the oche when the COVID-19 pandemic prompted a lockdown back in March 2020.

“My brother was actually as good as me, at one point he was better than me," Littler told The Guardian in a January 2024 interview.

"When lockdown hit, he stopped playing but he’s trying to get back into it. It’s good to see him falling back in love with the game.”

It's been mentioned on many an occasion that Littler was showing promise when he was just 18 months old, but he stepped up his game in lockdown and practiced on his own for "hours and hours a day" to perfect his craft and won titles off the back of it.

Luke Littler is the world champion and new face of darts. Image: Getty

Now second in the PDC Order of Merit, Littler is on top of the world and his sibling not refuses to play him - instead showing support for him at tournaments and enjoying the ride.

Speaking to The Sun ahead of his World Darts Championship to triumph, he said: "I don't do it. I'm not going to embarrass myself. He's not going to let me win for a Christmas present is he? I used to play him all the time but I love watching him. Seeing my brother at that age, makes me happy because I know how good he is and how good he was.

"Even at the age of 10, he was showing signs of being a good player. We just didn't know we were going to be here twice in a row."

Next up for Littler is the 2025 Bahrain Darts Masters, where he will compete alongside seven other PDC players and eight Asian representatives on 16 and 17 January.