Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks was ejected during an NBA Cup game against the Denver Nuggets after kicking Jamal Murray in the groin or midsection area,
Brooks kicked his right leg upward while attempting a jump shot and caught Nuggets guard Murray, who challenged the shot.
After a review by the officials, the initial foul call was upgraded to a Flagrant 2 foul, resulting in Brooks’ immediate ejection.
Brooks’ Ejection Is Reminiscent Of Draymond Green’s Antics
This is reminiscent of Draymond Green’s antics. The most prominent of these occurred during Game 3 of the 2016 Western Conference Finals, when the Golden State Warriors forward flailed his leg upward after drawing a foul, striking Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams directly between the legs.
Green defended the action as an accidental extension of his natural shooting motion meant to sell a foul call.
In 21 minutes of play versus the Nuggets, Brooks scored 22 points, grabbed 1 rebound, and handed out 2 assists on 9-of-12 shooting.
Meanwhile, Murray exploded for 39 points, including a blistering 7-of-9 from three-point range. Christian Braun stepped up with 31 points as the Nuggets took down the Suns, 127-120.
Dillon Brooks Explains His Personality And His On-Court Villain Persona
Dillon Brooks is known as the villain of the NBA, but outside the court, he said he is a different man.
“I’m not that person that they see between the lines,” he said. “You know what I mean? Like, that just comes out as, like, a—I want to call it a character, but it’s like another person that I can be. Cause, like, if I’m this person in real life, I’m like a hooligan. Like, you know what I’m saying? Like, I’m just—no one can be around me. They can’t talk to me or whatever.”
Brooks has stated that the villain is a focused character or “another person” he taps into between the lines, noting that acting that way in real life would make him impossible to be around.
“I’m just a laid-back guy who, you know, takes care of their family and wants to learn, obviously, new things in life ’cause we’re just strictly into basketball our whole lives to make it to the NBA. So, it’s like, how can we diversify it all? So, I’m just not a trash-talking dude. I’m like, you know, that’s something to tap into when you need to.”
Brooks forged his reputation during his six seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies, using relentless defense and agitation against high-profile opponents like LeBron James and Kevin Durant.
He views the public hate and boos as a deliberate fuel source to keep his competitive edge sharp across an 82-game season.
Now playing for the Phoenix Suns, Brooks has evolved the persona from just trash-talking and hard fouls into an agitator and competitive leader.
So far, Brooks averages 14.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game so far.
However, the Suns have struggled to start the season, winning just one of their first four games. The team has remained riding on the back of Devin Booker and playing without a natural point guard.
Suns’ Dillon Brooks Makes Draymond Green Impression, Gets Ejected vs Nuggets