Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks spoke to the media for the first time since his team was eliminated by the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs and was asked if he regretted taking shots at LeBron James after his team’s Game 2 win. The comments caused a frenzy online and led many to believe that they played a role in the team’s downward spiral.
“No. That’s who I am,” Brooks told reporters Sunday at his team’s exit interviews, two days after the Grizzlies season ended in Los Angeles. “I don’t regret it. I’m a competitor, I compete. I don’t think it got LeBron geeked up.”
The drama started on April 19 when Brooks called James “old” and added “I poke bears. I don’t respect no one until they come and give me 40 [points].”
Memphis went on to lose Games 3 and 4 on the road, leading to Brooks infamously leaving the arena before talking to media members. The second-seeded Grizzlies won Game 5 at home, but the series ended in embarrassing fashion as Memphis lost Game 6 to the No. 7-seed Lakers, 125–85. Brooks, again, left the arena before reporters got to the locker room.
Brooks, who is set to be an unrestricted free agent, was fined $25,000 for violating the league’s rules regarding media interview access. He struggled throughout the series, averaging just 10.5 points on 31% shooting from the field and 24% shooting from behind the arc.
“I’m just gonna continue to be me and get better at what I do,” he said Sunday.
