Dillon Brooks was honest about losing his confidence to LeBron James and the LA Lakers back in the 2023 NBA playoffs. Brooks was still part of the Memphis Grizzlies at that time, making headlines due to his antics. Fans reacted to the now-Phoenix Suns forward’s honesty on social media.
In his postgame press conference on Thursday, Brooks was asked by Suns beat reporter Kellan Olson about his confidence this season. The Oregon product shared that he has a lot of it now because the coaching staff believes in him. He also opened up about losing it against the Lakers before snapping out of it during the 2023 World Cup.
“I would say probably the series against the Lakers,” Brook said, according to Duane Rankin of AZ Central. “I couldn’t shoot the ball. The GM (Zach Kleiman) is telling me to only shoot 6 shots, not giving me the confidence I needed and you can feel that energy coming from front office and coaches. Never the players, the players want to win, but you feel that energy.
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The former Grizzlies and Rockets player added:
“Even if you’re working and put in the time, it’s not falling. Probably that was the last time. I cut that off from there. Then I had that little FIBA run. All I kept doing was working, working, working to get back to where I was.”
Despite Dillon Brooks’ honesty, NBA fans still trolled him on social media. Brooks has been one of the most hated players in the league for years now due to his antics and comments. He created himself into a villain, though he has redeemed himself with his performances for Canada in the World Cup and Olympics.
Here are some of the reactions on X, formerly known as Twitter.
After losing that first-round series to the LA Lakers, the Memphis Grizzlies announced that they were not bringing back Dillon Brooks in free agency. Brooks was acquired by the Houston Rockets in a sign-and-trade, bouncing back with a solid season in Texas.
The Rockets ended up trading him to the Phoenix Suns this past summer as part of the Kevin Durant deal.
Dillon Brooks drops 32 points in win over Pacers
On Thursday’s 133-98 win over the Indiana Pacers, Dillon Brooks had his best game as a member of the Phoenix Suns so far. Brooks finished with 32 points, one rebound and one assist. He shot 12-for-18 from the field, made three 3-point shots and was a perfect 5-for-5 from the free-throw line.
In seven games this season, Brooks is averaging 20.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.9 steals. He’s shooting 43.6% from the field, including 32.7% from threes, with the Suns having a record of 8-5. They are also on a five-game winning streak entering Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks.
Edited by Juan Paolo David
