Memphis guard Dillon Brooks blames the media for turning him into a ‘villain’ for his ejection from Game 3 vs. Lakers – Basketball Insiders

Dillon Brooks’ role as one of the leagues’ toughest agitators has brought him both advantages and disadvantages during his young career in the NBA. Yes, sometimes he gets under other player’s skins and takes them out of the game mentally, but he says it has also brought the perception of him as a “villain.”

The Grizzlies guard opened up about his latest ejection from Game 3 of the series against the Lakers, as at the start of the third quarter he was marking LeBron James but mistimed his reach as he tried to steal the ball and hit the rival straight in the groin.

Take a look at the play from this past Saturday which assessed him a Flagrant 2 foul in the Crypto.com Arena:

Dillon Brooks was ejected after receiving a flagrant 2 for this hit to LeBron. pic.twitter.com/LL9CLRAryy

— ESPN (@espn) April 23, 2023

“The media making me a villain, the fans making me a villain, that just creates another persona on me,” Brooks said the following day.

Yes, Brooks’ play might not have been intentional, but he really only has himself to blame, as shots to the groin have been heavily penalized in the NBA, especially during this start of the playoffs.

The truth is that the Memphis player has a long history of overly aggressive plays. For example, in the second round of last year’s postseason, he was ejected for injuring Warriors’ Gary Payton II that resulted in a broken elbow and the end of his campaign.

Let’s not go to far, this same tournament he also hit Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell in the groin, and was consequently suspended.

Brooks’ newest beef with LeBron was his own makings

Dillon is not only physical on court, he’s also been known for talking trash outside the floor and making controversial statements to the press. One of his last came after Memphis won Game 2 against Los Angeles and he decided to throw some darts at the 38-year-old superstar.

“I don’t care, [LeBron James] is old. I was waiting for that, I was expecting him to do that Game 4, Game 5, he wanted to say something when I got my fourth foul, ” he said after the contest. “He shouldn’t have said that earlier on. I poke bears. I don’t respect anyone until they come and give me 40.”

Check out what Undisputed’s Shannon Sharpe said about the Memphis athlete after his latest remarks on being a villain:

About LeBron, the 27-year-old later realized he should have some respect for his opponent. “Obviously, I have some respect. He’s a legend. He’s LeBron James,” he said. “But when I’m on that floor, you’re just another player to me. I don’t care who you are. You’re just 6-8, 270 pounds, and you’re a basketball player.

“And that’s where guys, they don’t see that part of that game, where like, oh, I had those moments, year one, year two, where it’s like, ‘Oh, he’s glowing; he’s shining.’ But now I’m creating a name for myself.”

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Brooks will not face any further punishment from the NBA, as he should be eligible to play in Game 4 on Monday. Now that the Grizzlies are down 1-2 in the series, they’ll need to find a win if they are to survive this first-round matchup.