PHOENIX — Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks is not shy about trying to get under the skin of opponents and has made it a staple of how he plays.
This has led to several back-and-forth exchanges with opposing players and even some personal rivalries when Brooks faces specific players.
Brooks has one player, who is a close friend of is, in mind of someone who could become a true rival.
On the latest episode of NBA 2K League’s latest episode of Deflected alongside Suns teammate Khaman Maluach, Brooks was asked who he in the league he is building a rivalry with.
“I live for those. If we get him again this year, it’s definitely gonna be Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander),” Brooks said. “Even before he got to like this level, because he’s like one of the greatest in our game right now. I had his number, and I hope he watches it too, because we can go to the stats.
“(When I was in Memphis), like I forget what year it was, (he averaged) under 20, easy, sliding. That’s when the foul baiting wasn’t the real thing those times. I can get away with the get up the weight type type s—, you know?”
Brooks is likely referring to the 2019-20 season when Gilgeous-Alexander, who is his Canadian national teammate, averaged 17.0 points on 37.5% shooting against Memphis in what was only his second year in the league.
Brooks’ answer doesn’t come as much of a surprise because of how intense he was against Gilgeous-Alexander in Phoenix’s first-round series against the Oklahoma City in which the Suns lost 4-0 and Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 33.8 points and eight assists.
“I’m going to iso Shai when I get a chance to,” Brooks said during the playoff series. “Why not? He’s a good defender overall, but I just like the matchup. Team Canada, we’ve been going at it for awhile. I won’t forget our 1-on-1s that we had in Paris. You can ask him who got the best of who, but you see a guy like that going hard on the offensive end all game and trying to get a rest on defense.
“I’ll find a way make him use his legs, use his hands, use his mind on that defensive end, most of the time, he’s going to break down and then you can go out and make plays.”
Gilgeous-Alexander also posted a series of pictures after the series that include a photoshopped image of the back of Brooks’ jersey that changed his last name to “Cancun On,” which paired with his jersy number read “Cancun On 3,” and a caption that said “Everybody wants to be villainous until the brooms come out & the dust settles & you realize who the villain is.”
Brooks’ most notable “rivalry” is with LeBron James, and he has not been shy in being vocal about it.
Maluach asked Brooks about this rivalry with James.
“Always. I love playing against him, and honestly, I feel like it’s not even a rivalry. It’s just like a competitive spirit because I watched him my whole life, so I’m finally getting to compete against him, and he’s you know in the end stages of it all, ” Brooks said.
Brooks also mentioned Victor Wembanyama as someone he is going to target more.
“I’m gonna give you one more. It’s probably going to be, I think Wemby, you’re gonna start seeing that become like a more, I’m gonna get more agitated with him,” Brooks said.
Brooks is not shy about his antics, and they clearly aren’t going away even after James moved back over to the Eastern Conference, as he has new star players in mind to try to get in their heads.
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