Canada beat Team USA in a thrilling overtime affair.
Dillon Brooks has long embraced the villain tag but, for a change, played the hero role when Canada bagged the bronze medal in the FIBA World Cup on Sunday.
Brooks turned boos into “MVP” chants as he steered the team to its first podium finish in the quadrennial meet by way of a thrilling 127-118 overtime win over USA before a jam-packed crowd at the Mall of Asia Arena.
In probably the best game of his life, the Houston Rocket proved he’s more than just a defensive lynchpin as he shot 7 three-pointers on his way to 39 points. He also had 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and a steal to his name.
The 6-foot-6 forward made the important baskets down the stretch, including the pair of freebies that sealed the victory with 20.3 ticks remaining in extra period.
Asked about his villain tag, Brooks likened it to the late great Kobe Bryant’s “Mamba Mentality” which he created to separate basketball from personal tribulations early in his career.
Behind that mask, he is a “loving, caring guy.”
“It’s just a persona, people love it. I’ve grown to love it myself,” he told reporters after the match.
“It’s just like Kobe Bryant— RIP to Kobe Bryant— who had to create Black Mamba as [his] different persona when it comes on the court,” he added. “I guess that’s my persona, the villain, but just on the court. I’m a loving, caring guy who loves my kids, my family, my teammates.”
Not everyone loves that, of course.
In this business, it’s common to hate on players like Brooks, whose “LeBron James is old” remark in the heat of the NBA Playoffs series between the Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Lakers didn’t sit well with fans.
He had a polite message to his critics.
“I appreciate you. From the beginning, everybody that was throwing shots on Twitter and Instagram watching me play,” he said.
“But it just helps me to get better, motivates me to be better on the court for my teammates for whatever team I’m playing for. It just motivates me to keep going.”
But after a World Cup stint where he averaged 15.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.6 assists, those haters may gradually turn into believers.
(GM)