Dillon Brooks (No. 14) proves he’s more than just a heel after becoming the face of Canada’s victory over the United States. —AUGUST DELA CRUZ
Dillon Brooks insists that the hate he gets from fans is something that doesn’t bother him at all.
In fact, Brooks, who played the primary role in Canada’s third place finish in the Fiba World Cup with a gritty overtime win over the United States, is totally invested in something that may rival the top heel guy in the World Wrestling Entertainment.
“It’s just a persona,” said Brooks after getting Player of the Game honors with an un-Brooks-like 39 points spiked with 7-of-8 shooting from three-point territory in Canada’s 127-118 overtime victory over its North American neighbors.
“It’s just like Kobe Bryant. He had to figure out how to create ‘Black Mamba,’” the recent Houston Rockets signee continued.
The vitriol toward Brooks began during this year’s National Basketball Association (NBA) Playoffs. He was viewed as a pest while playing for the Memphis Grizzlies against LeBron James, Austin Reaves and the Los Angeles Lakers.
WATCH: Dillon Brooks on being a villain. #FIBAWC | @LanceAgcaoilINQ pic.twitter.com/Zy7Z88N0R8
— INQUIRER Sports (@INQUIRERSports) September 10, 2023
Those sentiments spilled in Manila for the World Cup, especially with the dashing Reaves in town to represent Team USA. The boobirds were out after Canada arrived from Jakarta, Indonesia, where the team barely escaped the group phase.
But the difference between the NBA season and the World Cup was that Brooks was making those threes, including the open ones, and it kept Canada in control of the contest to end a tournament to remember with a bronze medal to take home.
Brooks is expected to be in Paris 2024, where he will likely play heel again.
“That I guess is my persona, a villain. It’s just on the court,” he said. “I’m a loving and caring guy who loves my kids, my family, my teammates. Just loving the world as well.” Amid the boos were a smattering of ‘MVP’ chants. But that doesn’t mean that the jeers will end.
“Obviously, the hate doesn’t stop. It keeps going,” he said. I